


When The World Turned Upside Down

by Fantasy_Addict



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arcades, Babysitting, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Conspiracy Theorist Keith (Voltron), Cookies, Custody Battle, Dates, Disney Movies, Disney Songs, Fashion Shows, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Getting Fired, Getting Together, Homophobia, I got some inspiration from that one OHSHC scene, Implied Sexual Content, Just the one chapter, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, Keith (Voltron) Has Anxiety, Keith (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith has good friends, Keith is on a mission, Krolia (Voltron) is a Good Parent, Lactose Intolerant Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) is Good With Kids, Lance (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, M/M, Mentioned past homophobia, Modeling, Nicknames, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Pidge | Katie Holt is Savage, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Plot Twists, Protective Keith (Voltron), Puppies, Rainbows, Sassy Keith (Voltron), Shiro is a good uncle, Sick Character, Single Parent Keith (Voltron), Slow Burn, Soft Keith (Voltron), Soft Lance (Voltron), Soft Pidge, This is going to court, Work, all the softness, based on my own life, blushing boys, ex's, finally established plot, i give no spoilers, little bit, semi-date, very slight, you'll know which one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:47:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 22,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22888675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasy_Addict/pseuds/Fantasy_Addict
Summary: Keith’s life had been great....then made even better by his daughter. She was a surprise. Unexpected, but not unwanted. Even still, she shouldn’t have existed.Now, Keith will do anything for his little girl....even if it means revealing her existence to his friends, who he’s afraid will judge him.(I’m sorry, this summary sucks. Point is, there are not enough single parent Keith fics and that needs to change.)
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 133
Kudos: 237





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a typical morning for Keith....until it’s not.

“There’s a moment you’ve been waiting all your life for.  
When you find the very reason you’re alive for.  
And it happens when you seem to least expect it.  
All at once you come alive and feel connected.

When my world turned upside down.”

\- Finding Neverland

******

“Daddy!”

Keith remained perfectly still, keeping his breaths as even as he could. He wanted to hold the illusion that he was asleep for just a moment longer. Before reality came screeching again in his ear.

“DADDY!” The three year old girl yelled again, this time right in Keith’s ear. He gave an obnoxious snore, trying to fight off a smile. The little girl climbed up onto the bed, shoving her father’s shoulder.

“Daaaadddyyy!” She whined. Keith laughed.

“Okay, okay,” he said, sitting up. “I’m up.” The little girl smiled up at him.

“Morning, Daddy!” She said cheerily.

“Morning, Kinsley,” Keith said. He stretched as Kinsley got down and toddled over to the door, most likely headed for the kitchen. Keith shook his head fondly. That girl had a bottomless stomach, he was convinced. He got up and followed after her. Kinsley had already climbed into a chair at the counter in their small kitchen. Keith walked around to the other side and pulled out some bowls for cereal. He set a small, plastic green one (with a matching spoon of course) in front of Kinsley, filling it up with some Cheerios.

“Yum!” Kinsley said, digging in. Keith chuckled.

“Slow down, before you spill,” he reminded her. She nodded and slowed, eating her breakfast at a more human pace. Keith filled his own bowl and joined her.

He looked around their small apartment. He really needed to clean up. The living space behind them was cluttered with various toys and newspapers (the latter because Keith was doing some house hunting). He knew Kinsley’s room was clean, because he had taught her well and because most of her toys were in the afformented living space. Kitchen wasn’t much better. The dishwasher broke last week and Keith was stuck doing their dishes by hand. He also knew that the fridge was getting pretty bare, but they’d have to manage until Keith’s next paycheck that would come this Friday. Keith scowled as he then realized it was only Monday.

“Daddy?” Kinsley said suddenly. Keith looked over at her.

“What’s up Kins?” He asked.

“Why are you sad?” She asked bluntly. Keith almost laughed. She truly was his daughter.

“I’m not sad,” he said, reaching over to ruffle her hair a bit. “Just thinking.” He gave her a smile and she smiled back, satisfied with the answer. They finished their breakfast, Keith cleaning up and Kinsley heading to her room, where she waited for Keith to come help her pick out some clothes. Although, Keith didn’t do much as she had much more fashion sense than him. The last time he’d picked her clothes out, she’d walked around town with him in a black and blue monstrosity. Keith thought it was fine until his mom pointed out that she looked like a bruise. So Keith left the clothes picking to Kinsley.

“Put my hair in pigtails please,” she said after getting dressed, holding out a brush.

“Sure thing, Kins,” Keith said, going to grab two hair bands that would match her outfit. She had picked out a light blue shirt and a light pink skirt. She was still in pull-ups, so Keith had helped her put one on underneath the skirt.

Keith grabbed two pink hair bands and swiftly put her raven black hair into pigtails. He’d gotten good at it over the years.

“Okay,” Keith said. “Daddy has to go get ready now. Why don’t you play with your toys while you wait?”

“‘Kay!” Kinsley said, toddling to the living space. Keith went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a quick shower, then pulled on a red flannel shirt and some faded jeans. He put his hair into a short, messy ponytail and returned to the living space to find Kinsley on the couch, playing with her lion plushie she named Red. She was flying the plushie through the air, like an airplane.

“Ready to go?” Keith asked, smile on his face. Kinsley looked up.

“Go where?” She asked.

“To the store, remember?” Keith said, sitting down next to her. “We gotta get some groceries.”

“Oh,” Kinsley said. “Okay.” She hugged Red close to her as she slid off the couch. Suddenly, Keith’s phone rang. He grabbed it off the counter, seeing his mom’s name, “Krolia”, on the screen.

“Hey, Mom,” he said.

“Hi hon,” his mother replied. “How’s it going?”

“Fine,” Keith said. “We’re actually just headed to the store.”

“Sounds fun,” Krolia said, clearly sounding like she had something else to say.

“What?” Keith asked. “What is it?”

“What do you mean?” Krolia asked, feigning innocence.

“Mom,” he deadpanned.

“Fine,” she said. “I got a call from Shiro today.”

“Okay?” Keith asked, confused. It wasn’t unusual for Shiro to call her. He was Keith’s adopted brother, and after Keith had found Krolia, Shiro made it a point to call her and ask how Keith was doing, seeing as Keith wouldn’t tell Shiro himself. “He’s called before. What’s different this time?”

“Well, he actually wasn’t calling about you,” Krolia explained. “Well, sort of. But he and a few friends wanted to come visit the town for a few days and asked if they could stay at my place. Shiro said he didn’t want to bother you.”

“Wait, they’re coming here?” Keith asked, trying not to panic. The whole reason he moved out here, where his mother lived, was to get away from them all. Not because he didn’t like them or anything, but…..

“Keith,” Krolia said, interrupting his thoughts. “You should tell them. You know I haven’t said anything, but I think it’s time.”

“Mom,” Keith said. “It’s been three years.”

“So?” She countered. “They deserve to know. Especially Shiro, he’s your brother for goodness sake!” Keith sighed.

“When are they coming?” He asked.

“Sometime this afternoon,” Krolia said. “You could stop by tomorrow. Take today to figure out what you wanna say.”

“Yeah, I think I will,” Keith said, eyes going to Kinsley who was putting on her blue tennis shoes. She was sitting on the floor, tugging them on, but still holding Red tucked under her arm.

“Good,” Krolia said. “Well, I’ll let you get to your shopping. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” Keith said, hanging up. He sighed again.

“Daddy, I’m ready!” Kinsley said, standing up. Keith smiled.

“I see that, good job,” he said, swooping down to pick her up. The little girl giggled. Keith carried her out the door and down the three flights of stairs. The elevator was broken, but Keith didn’t mind. He was the guy that used to get up at 5 am to go for a run everyday. Stairs were nothing.

“Morning, Keith!” A cheery voice called. Keith got to the bottom of the stairs and saw the owner of the voice, the front desk lady, Talulla.

“‘Lulla!” Kinsley said, wiggling in Keith’s hold. He set her down and she ran up to the desk.

“My, you’re getting big, Miss Kinsley!” Talulla said. Keith smiled.

“She sure is,” Keith said. “Morning, Talulla.” Talulla smiled at him, brushing her strawberry-blonde locks from her face. Her hair was styled in a bob-cut and framed her face nicely. Her olive skin had a smattering of freckles across her arms and nose. Her bright green eyes turned back to Kinsley.

“I’ve got a little something for you,” she said. She reached under her desk, most likely into a drawer, and pulled out a sticker with Princess Jasmine on it. Kinsley’s purplish-grey eyes widened.

“Jasmine!” She squealed, reaching for the sticker. Talulla handed it to the excited girl. She knew how much Kinsley loved Princess Jasmine. Said she wanted to be swept away on a flying carpet with her own “Aladdin”. Keith smiled.

“What do you say?” He said to Kinsley. The girl looked back up at Talulla.

“Thank you, ‘Lulla!” She said.

“You’re very welcome sweetie,” Talulla said grinning. Keith helped Kinsley peel off the backing and stick it to her shirt. Kinsley was grinning from ear.

“Well,” Keith said, scooping up Kinsley again. “We better get going to the store.”

“Bye, ‘Lulla!” Kinsley said.

“Bye Miss Kinsley!” Tallula said, waving as Keith walked them out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Kinsley. Like Keith, I would do anything for this little girl.
> 
> (And yes, her favorite Princess is Jasmine because Aladdin is my favorite Disney movie. Shush. 😂)
> 
> * I wanted to share this video I made of a little speededit I did. It’s what I imagine Kinsley to sorta look like. (Don’t judge my skills, I know I’m not the best 😝.) Anyway, you can watch it here! https://youtu.be/7bZ8jgFSGkA *


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Kinsley go shopping

Keith took them over to his red pickup. It wasn’t the best, but he’d had to trade in his motorcycle when Kinsley came along, so that made the truck perfect in Keith’s eyes. As long as he could fit a car seat in, it would do.

Keith opened the passenger side door, reaching for the hidden handle to the backseat door. Once open, he placed Kinsley in her car seat, making sure the buckles were all secure. He once saw a woman pull over on the road to strap her own little one in, clearly not noticing before she left home. Keith was determined not to have a similar incident. Kinsley started humming a tune (most likely from Aladdin, as she was playing with the edges of her sticker), and kicked her feet out, once she was strapped in. Keith shut both doors before heading to the driver’s side to get himself in.

“Daddy?” Kinsley asked.

“What’s up, sugar cube?” Keith said, hooking an arm over the back of the passenger seat as he started to back out.

“Can I get a new toy at the store?” Kinsley asked. Keith had turned back around at this point, determined not to glance at his daughter in the rear view mirror, as she was no doubt trying to pull her puppy dog eyes on him.

“If you’re good,” Keith relented. He was weak for his daughter. He heard Kinsley’s happy gasp, hugging Red tightly. Keith had honestly forgotten she’d been holding the plush this whole time.

It didn’t take long to get to the store. It was about a 15 minute drive, so Kinsley didn’t tend to get too impatient. Keith pulled into a spot and parked the truck. Turning off the ignition, he opened the door and went around to get Kinsley out too.

“Okay,” Keith set, setting her on the ground. “Now stay close to me and if you’re good, we’ll see about that toy.” Kinsley nodded, her little face scrunching up with a look of determination. Keith smiled at his daughter’s antics.

Once inside, Keith grabbed a basket. He wasn’t gonna get much, just enough to last them through the week….and maybe that new toy, depending on what it was.

“Daddy, look!” Kinsley said, starting to run off towards a display with cookies. Keith quickly caught her hand.

“Kinsley,” he scolded lightly. “You can’t just run off.” Kinsley’s eyes widened, then nodded.

“Ok,” she said, holding her father’s hand and hugging Red close. She followed Keith through the aisles of the store as he filled up the basket. Mainly with more cereal, milk, bread, peanut butter, and jam. Although, when he went to look for the peanut butter, he realized it was on the top shelf. Which he could not reach. And it was the last jar.

“Kinsley,” Keith said. “Can you say right here for me? Daddy’s just going to go to the end of the aisle to see if someone can help reach the top shelf for me.” Kinsley nodded and let go of her father’s hand. Keith smiled and started towards the other end of the aisle.

Kinsley stayed put for all of five seconds before spotting something on her left. It was the toy aisle across for the one she was in. She glanced at her father’s back before deciding to just go and look for a minute. She walked away towards the toys. Her father couldn’t be mad either, as she wasn't RUNNING, but walking, like he told her earlier. Kinsley stopped in front of the toys.

“Hey, little one,” Kinsley turned at the voice. It was a strange man. He had soft looking brown hair and was very tall. Taller than her Daddy. Kinsley smiled. He could help Daddy reach the shelf!

“Are you lost?” The man continued, looking around for her parents. Kinsley shook her head.

“My Daddy needs help,” she said. The man gave her a confused look. He crouched down.

“Your Daddy?” He asked. Kinsley nodded. “Well, I’ll see what I can do. What’s your name sweetie?”

“Kinsley,” she answered proudly.

“Nice to meet you, Kinsley,” the man said. “Can you show me to your Daddy?” Kinsley nodded again, taking the man’s hand.

“What’s your name?” Kinsley asked as she pulled him down the aisle.

“Huh? Oh, it’s Lance,” the man said. She led Lance back to the aisle with the peanut butter, but her Daddy was gone.

“Daddy?” She called out. Lance looked around too, but the aisle was empty. Kinsley clutched his hand tighter.

“Okay,” Lance said, crouching down. Kinsley then noticed he had blue eyes, like a fairy tale prince. “We can look for him together. How about I see if my friends will help too?” Kinsley nodded as tears started to form in her eyes. Lance stood back up and led her down another aisle.

“Shiro! Pidge! Hunk!” He called. Three people ran up to him.

“There you are!” The girl said. “Lance….did you kidnap a child?”

“What? No!” Lance spluttered. “She got lost and can’t find her dad.”

“Oh no!” Another man said. He had an orange bandana in his hair. The last man crouched down.

“Do you know your dad’s name?” He asked. Kinsley nodded as she stared at his hair, which had a white tuff on top, but was black everywhere else.

“It’s-“

“KINSLEY!”

The whole group turned as the little girl’s name was shouted. Keith raced up to his daughter, nearly skinning his knees on the ground as he dropped down to pull her close.

“Oh my god, Kinsley,” he said, checking her over. “I turned around and you were gone! I thought I lost you. Are you hurt? What happened?” He didn’t notice the audience he had, too worried about his daughter. Hunk cleared his throat. Keith paled, then looked up.

“Hi,” Pidge said, her face an expression of awe. Keith scooped up Kinsley.

“Bye,” Keith said, turning around.

“Keith, wait!” Shiro called after him.

“No,” Keith said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Keith!” That time it was Lance. Keith ignored them and retrieved the basket he’d been carrying, headed up to the front to pay.

“Daddy?” Kinsley said quietly, sniffing as well.

“Yeah, Kins?” Keith said, trying to keep the panic from his voice.

“I’m….I’m sorry,” Kinsley said. Keith melted.

“Oh, baby,” he said, wiping away the tears that had started to fall. “It’s okay. You scared me, but I found you. You’re okay.” Kinsley nodded, still sniffing. She shoved her face into his shoulder, and Keith didn’t even care that she was getting snot all over the sleeve. Keith paid for their groceries and got them out the door without incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Keith. He’s a bit of a mess. But little Kinsley only wanted to help! Isn’t she the sweetest?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has a panic attack

Once they were back in Keith’s pickup, he took a moment to collect himself. Not good to drive while panicking.

“D-Daddy?” Kinsley said.

“Yes, baby?” Keith asked.

“Who w-was that man and his fwiends?” Kinsley said, her “r” dropping to a “w”. That happened when she cried. Keith was trying to help her overcome it, but the tears made her slip.

“Just some old friends of mine,” Keith said with a sigh. “You’ll get to see them again tomorrow.” Kinsley perked up at that.

“I get to see Pwince Lance again?” She asked. Keith chuckled, despite his panic.

“Prince?” He asked, looking at Kinsley in the rear view mirror. The little girl nodded.

“He had blue eyes like in a fairy tale,” she explained, her tears finally stopping.

“I see,” Keith said. She wasn’t wrong. Lance’s eyes were pretty magical. “Yeah, you’ll see Lance tomorrow.” With that he turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot, headed back to their apartment building. Keith grabbed the bag of groceries and then picked up Kinsley, holding her on one hip. Kinsley waved to Talulla as they walked up the stairs. Once inside their apartment, Keith set Kinsley down and she ran off to play in her room. Keith set the groceries on the table and then whipped out his phone. He scrolled through his contacts until he found the name of the girl who lived below him, Alice. It rang twice before she answered.

“Keith?” She answered.

“Can you come up for a minute?” Keith asked, his voice most certainly not breaking at the end of that sentence.

“On my way,” she said, hanging up. Keith took a few deep breaths, before a knocking came a minute later. Alice must have run. Keith opened the door.

“Kinsley?” She asked. Keith shook his head.

“In her room,” he said. Alice pulled him into a hug. Her dark chocolate skin smelled like pears and her long black hair smelled like oranges. She must have just come back from helping at her uncle’s farm outside the city.

“Let’s go to your room, hm?” She said. Keith nodded, pulling back from the hug and trying to hold back the tears. They went to Keith’s room, where they sat on the bed and resumed their hug. Keith’s lost the fight with his tears.

“I-I can’t go to my mom’s to-tomorrow!” Keith sobbed. “All-All my friends and Sh-Shiro will a-ask questions and-and….”

“Sh,” Alice said, hugging Keith more tightly. She knew exactly how to handle Keith in this state. She’d been the one to first welcome him and Kinsley to the building and always offered him a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. Alice considered the boy to be her own brother at this point, and little Kinsley as her niece. Heck, the girl had even started calling her “Auntie Alice”.

“Th-Thanks,” Keith said, sobs slowing. He pulled back a bit to look at Alice better. Her warm brown eyes shone with concern.

“You wanna tell me what’s going on?” She asked. Keith sighed. Then he slowly explained about how his brother and his friends were coming to visit and how he and Kinsley had run into them at the store.

“I….I’m just afraid of what’ll they’ll think of me….” Keith admitted.

“Why?” Alice asked.

“Because I’m gay, Alice!” Keith said. “Gay men can’t just have kids that look like a miniature version of themselves!” Alice frowned.

“So you had a kid with a girl,” she said matter-of-factly. “You were still in the ‘experimentation’ stage, Keith. While it was an accident, I can’t believe for one second that you regret having Kinsley.” Keith stiffened.

“She’s my world,” he said quietly. Alice smiled.

“Exactly,” she said. “I’m sure Shiro and your friends won’t think any less of you for it.” Keith sighed.

“Maybe,” he said. “But ‘you-know-who’ will be there. And I doubt he’d be okay with it. Besides, he’d want to know what happened to her mother and….” Alice pulled him into another hug.

“You can explain things at your own pace,” Alice said. “But you can’t assume.”

“Okay,” Keith said. Alice gave him one last squeeze before releasing him.

“You gonna be okay tomorrow?” She asked. Keith nodded.

“I think so,” he said.

“Would you like me to come with?” She asked. “For moral support.”

“Would you?” Keith asked, eyes wide. Alice chuckled.

“Of course, honey!” She laughed. Keith beamed.

“That would be great, thanks Alice,” he said. Alice nodded. She stood up.

“Well, I better get going,” she said. “At least your mom’s place isn’t as far as my uncle’s! I still gotta unpack from that!” Keith chuckled lightly.

“I’ll see you out,” he said, standing as well. He saw her to the door, then locked it shut behind her. Keith let out a breath, leaning against the door. Tomorrow was going to be okay. It had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, he’s trying guys. Man I’m mean to Keith.😅 I’ll try to give him some more fluff.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group's perspective at the store.....plus getting to Krolia's house!

Back at the store, Lance was at a loss. He thought that little Kinsley looked familiar, and now he knew why.

“Keith has a DAUGHTER?!” he exclaimed. Everyone else looked to be in the same state of shock. Shiro was the first to snap out of it after Lance.

“I….I guess so,” he said. “But he didn’t….I’ve never even heard of her. I’m his brother, he should have….should have told me.”

“He must have his reasons,” Pidge said next. Hunk nodded.

“Yeah, he clearly didn’t want to talk about it,” he said. “But he said he’d see us tomorrow, so maybe he was just waiting for the right time?”

“But that girl looked like she was three or four years old,” Lance said. “I’m pretty sure the right time would have come sooner than now.”

“We won't push him tomorrow,” Shiro said, side-eyeing Lance. Lance held up his hands in surrender.

“Fine, fine,” he said. “Can’t blame me for being curious. I mean, isn’t he gay?” Shiro frowned but nodded.

“Ok,” Pidge said, shoving Lance a little. “I get where you’re coming from, because I’m just as curious. But we can’t just bombard him with questions and expect answers. This is Keith we’re talking about. He’s more likely to clam up than tell us if we crowd him.”

“She’s right,” Shiro said. “Let him tell his story at his own pace.”

“Ok, I get it!” Lance huffed. “Geez, I’m not insensitive.” Hunk put a hand on his shoulder.

“We know,” he said. “But sometimes your mouth runs before your brain catches up.” Lance gave him a half-hearted glare, but dropped it. They all headed out of the store, after picking up some groceries for Krolia, and got into Shiro’s white SUV. Pidge kept snickering, because apparently the word ‘white’ in Japanese was ‘shiro’, and this highly amused her. Shiro rolled his eyes, but didn’t deny her translation.

About 20 minutes later, the group pulled into the driveway of Krolia Kogane.

“About time!” Krolia called from her front porch.

“Hi, Mrs. Kogane!” Hunk waved as they carried the groceries inside.

“Oh, please, call me Krolia,” she said. Hunk nodded and went to set the groceries in the kitchen.

“How are you?” Shiro asked, giving the woman a hug.

“Fine, fine. Keith comes to visit every now and again, so at least I don’t get lonely,” she said, releasing Shiro. His face fell.

“We, uh….” he said. “We ran into him at the store, actually. Him and his daughter.” Krolia paused at that.

“I see,” she sighed. At this point, the others had gathered on the porch as well. “It’s not my story to tell, you’ll have to wait for Keith to do that. But I can tell you that Kinsley is the sweetest little girl I have ever met. She’s got her father’s stubborn streak though, but once you get past that she’s an angel.” Shiro smiled at the description of his niece.

“She sounds amazing,” Shiro said. Krolia visibly relaxed at that, like she was worried they wouldn’t take the news well.

“Alright, enough chit-chat,” she said. “Shiro, you’ve got the upstairs guest room. Hunk, Pidge, you’ll have to decide who gets which room in the basement. Lance, I have you in Keith’s old room.” The group nodded and set off towards their designated rooms. Lance pushed open the door to Keith’s room. He knew where it was because he’d hung out with Keith a lot back in their highschool days at the Garrison. But when he stepped inside, it was not how he remembered it.

The room itself was the same, the light grey walls, dark green carpet (which Lance thought weird, but whatever), even the alien print sheets on the bed. But a majority of the room was covered in things you’d find in a nursery. There was a crib in one corner, a changing table in the other, toys scattered all over the floor. Keith’s desk had been moved out and a rocking chair sat in the vacated spot.

“Sorry about the mess,” Krolia said coming up behind him. “I forgot that Keith left all this here. I’ll move the toys at least.” She began picking up the blocks and stuffed animals littered about.

“Oh, that’s alright,” Lance said, coming to his senses. “I got it.” He bent down to help put the toys away. When they finished, Krolia sighed.

“It hasn’t been easy for him,” Krolia said. “He’d do anything for Kinsley and she’s his whole world. But it hasn’t been easy. Be patient with him tomorrow, yeah?” She turned to Lance at that. He nodded, and she smiled. She left him to get settled in the room. Lance set his stuff by the end of the bed and flopped down, staring at the ceiling. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Keith had a daughter, when Krolia called out that she had made dinner. Lance sighed and got up, resolving to think about Keith in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited to write the next day! Should be interesting.😁


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meetup.....

Keith woke up feeling rested, despite the pit in his stomach at the thought of going over to his mom's to see his friends. He laid in bed for a few more minutes before finally getting up like the zombie he is. Kinsley came out of her room at the same time.

"Hi, Dada," she said sleepily. She rubbed a tiny fist in her eye. Keith smiled. Kinsley only called him "Dada" if she was still super tired.

"Morning baby," he said, scooping her up. She laid her head on his shoulder as he settled her on his hip. "You want some pancakes?" Kinsley nodded. Keith went about making pancakes, still holding Kinsley.

"Daddy?" she asked suddenly.

"Yeah, Kins?" he asked.

"We gonna see your friends again?" she asked, the smell of pancakes starting to wake her up a bit. Keith was silent for a moment.

"Yeah," he said. "And grandma." Kinsley perked up at that.

"Yay, we get to see grandma!" she yelled happily. Right into Keith's ear.

"Ouch, Kins," he chuckled. "Here, let me put you down so I can finish and then you can have some pancakes." Kinsley nodded and wriggled as Keith set her down on the floor. She toddled over to the counter, climbing into a chair. Keith set a plate with a cut up pancake in front of her. He didn't trust her with syrup yet, as she liked to eat pancakes with her hands, so he just put a bit of butter on them. Kinsley loved them.

"Daddy?" Kinsley asked, stuffing more pancake bits into her mouth.

"Mmhmm," Keith said, getting his own pancakes and sitting next to her.

"Can I wear my new shirt?" she asked.

"Sure sweet pea," Keith said. She was talking about a pink T-shirt with a glittery silver lion on the front. Keith had bought it for her when she nearly threw a fit over it in the store. Normally, he wouldn't indulge this type of behavior, but it was a cute shirt, so he caved.

"Yay!" Kinsley said, shoving the last of her pancake in her mouth. Keith chuckled as she went to get dressed. A knock sounded on the door.

"Coming," Keith said, dropping his plate and Kinsley's in the sink. He opened the door to find Alice on the other side.

"Morning!" she said brightly, letting herself in.

"Please come in," Keith muttered with a smirk. Alice ignored him.

"Kinsley getting ready?" she asked. Keith nodded. "Alright, I'll go help her. You get yourself ready."

"Yes ma'am," Keith said, heading to the bathroom. He took a quick shower, then threw on a black T-shirt and jeans. He left his hair down today.

"All set!" Kinsley said when she saw her daddy step out of the bathroom. She had her new T-shirt on and a pair of jeans. Alice had helped her put some sparkly clips in her hair, and pull on her tennis shoes. Keith scooped her up.

"Yep!" Keith agreed. "My truck?" he asked Alice.

"Sure," she said, taking Kinsley so Keith could put his shoes on.

Once in the truck, Keith gripped the steering wheel, trying to focus on the road rather than his nerves.

"Hey," Alice said softly. "I'll be right there, okay?" Keith nodded, grip loosening on the wheel. They arrived at his mom's house all too soon. Keith killed the engine and helped Kinsley out of her car seat.

"Keith!" someone shouted. Keith turned to see Shiro standing on the porch. Keith took a breath and walked over, Alice at his side.

"Hey, Shiro," he said. Shiro smiled.

"Good to see you," he said.

"You too."

"Who's this cutie?" Shiro smiled at Kinsley who giggled. "I don't think we were properly introduced yesterday."

"I'm Kinsley!" she said proudly. She squirmed, wanting to get down. Keith set her down on the ground in front of him. "What's your name?"

"This is Uncle Shiro," Keith said. Shiro looked surprised, but his smile widened.

"Yep!" he said. "I'm your daddy's brother." Kinsley hugged his leg.

"Hi Uncle Shiro!" she said. Shiro laughed.

"Nice to meet you Kinsley," he said. Alice stepped forward.

"Let's go inside, Kins," she said. She took the little girl's hand and led her away. Keith looked at Shiro.

"Before you say anything," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Shiro shook his head.

"I'm sure you have your reasons," he said. Keith nodded, not ready to say more. Shiro took the hint. "She's cute. How old is she?"

"Three," Keith said. "And she may be cute, but she got her dad's stubborn streak." Shiro laughed and patted him on the shoulder. Keith followed Shiro inside. He found Alice and Kinsley sitting at the kitchen table, Hunk giving the young girl a cookie.

"Keith!" he said, spotting the man. "How has this adorable angel never had a snickerdoodle cookie?!"

"Because I never buy them?" Keith said. "I usually just get chocolate chip." Hunk shook his head fondly.

"How is it?" he asked Kinsley. She smiled.

"Yummy!" she said, munching on her cookie. Hunk beamed.

"Oh, good!" he said. "I made them, you know."

"No way!" Kinsley said.

"Way," Hunk countered. Keith chuckled.

"You gave the kid sugar?" Pidge said, rounding the corner.

"Hey Pidge," Keith greeted. Pidge gave him a fist bump.

"Have fun with her later," Pidge said. "Hunk's cookies always have a bit of extra sugar." Keith shrugged.

"One night with a kid on a sugar high won't kill me," he said. Pidge barked out a laugh. Alice came over and introduced herself to the others. Pidge seemed to take an instant liking to the other woman.

"Keith," a voice said behind him. Keith turned to see Lance standing in the hallway. He kept glancing between him and Kinsley. Keith walked towards him.

"Hey, Lance," Keith said.

"So it's just you two?" Lance asked. Keith nodded. "Where's her mom?" Keith sucked in a breath.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said. Lance frowned.

"Why not?" he said, not reading the room.

"Because it's none of your business," Keith bit out.

"Hey, I'm just curious, no need to get mad!" Lance said.

"Yeah? Well you don't need to be curious," Keith said loudly. Suddenly, someone pushed past him.

"Leave him alone," Alice said, getting herself between the two.

"Who are you?" Lance sneered. "His bodyguard? Or his girlfriend?" Keith stiffened. Alice's expression darkened.

"You shut your mouth," she said lowly. Keith backed away, turning to go out to the porch. He heard Lance yelling at him to get back. Then he heard a thump. Alice most likely pushed him.

"Keith?" Shiro said, as Keith bypassed him. Shiro stood and made his way down the hall Keith just left.

"What the heck is wrong with you?!" Lance shouted. Shiro spotted him on the ground.

"Me?! What's wrong with ME?!" Alice seethed. She was aware of the little girl in the other room and didn't want to frighten her.

"What happened?" Shiro said, coming up behind Alice.

"He's a jerk, that's what happened," Alice said, sending Lance a death glare. Lance picked himself up off the floor.

"All I did was ask Keith about Kinsley's mom," he said. Shiro sighed.

"We talked about this, Lance," he said in his signature dad voice. Instantly, Lance felt guilty.

"I didn't…." he trailed off, knowing anything he said would sound like an excuse.

Keith, meanwhile, sat on the porch, his head in his hands.

'This isn't what I wanted.'

'I have to go.'

'I can't do this.'

'Take her.'

The words circled around in Keith's mind. He saw flashes from the memory. A snowy night. A baby crying. The door slamming. A hasty note.

"Why?" Keith muttered to himself. His hands felt wet and he realized he'd started crying. He heard the door to the house open.

"Keith?" Alice said, sitting next to him cautiously. Keith leaned into her and she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, honey."

"He made me think of her," Keith said. "Of Kate." Alice didn't say anything, understanding that this wasn't something Keith really wanted to talk about.

"Well," Alice said. "I can't change what happened. But I can keep him away from you until he apologizes." Keith sighed.

"Thanks," he said.

"Anytime," Alice said, hugging him tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, poor Keith. I had to do that to further the story. But don't worry! I see fluff ahead!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro talks to Krolia

Back in the house, Shiro was furious. Lance remained in the hallway, looking guiltily at the floor.

"You need to apologise," Shiro said, the tone of his voice leaving no room for argument. Lance nodded. "Not right now, though. Leave him be for awhile." Lance only nodded again. Shiro turned and walked back to the kitchen. Kinsley was eating another cookie, unaware of what took place in the hallway. Hunk looked up, worried.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"It will be," Shiro sighed, sitting next to Kinsley and grabbing a cookie for himself. Kinsley smiled at him.

"Wanna play?" she asked, ignoring the cookie crumbs on her face. Shiro chuckled and wiped them off.

"Sure," he said. "Wanna show me where your toys are?" Kinsley beamed and climbed off her chair, pulling Shiro out of his. Shiro chuckled again at her enthusiasm. Kinsley led him to the living room, where a laundry basket full of toys sat in the corner. She made Shiro sit on the floor, then pulled out a plastic action figure. It was a soldier.

"You can be Captain Emmett!" she said.

"Where did you get that name?" Shiro asked. Kinsley shrugged.

"Daddy named him," she said. Shiro frowned.

"Do you know why?" he asked. Kinsley shrugged again and pulled out a Barbie doll.

"I'll be Miss Nelly!" she said. "I named her."

"That's a good name," Shiro said, nodding. Just then, Krolia walked in.

"Ah, I see she has you playing Captain Emmett," she said.

"Yeah," he said. "Kinsley, do you mind if I talk to your grandma for a moment? I'll be right back." Kinsley nodded, picking up the soldier and playing quietly by herself. Shiro led Krolia a little ways away.

"What's up?" she asked. "I heard someone shouting earlier, so I assumed someone pushed Keith." Shiro nodded.

"Yeah, that was Lance," he said. "I actually wanted to ask you about Kinsley's mom. Lance tried getting it out of Keith, which I knew would be a bad idea, but I do wonder." Krolia frowned.

"I shouldn't really tell you," she said. "Keith doesn't like to talk about her."

"I gathered," Shiro said. "You don't have to tell me what happened. I guess I just want to know who she is. Or was." Krolia sighed.

"Well, first off, she's still alive," Krolia said. "Her name is Kate. Keith met her in a coffee shop. Very clichè. He was still not over…..well, you already know about that." Shiro nodded. She was talking about Lance.

"So, he started dating her?" he asked. "But I thought-"

"He is," Krolia interjected. "He was just….. curious. He was certainly happy around her. When Kate found out she was expecting….well, while they were happy, her family was not. They never really liked Keith."

"Why not?" Shiro asked. Krolia shrugged.

"I didn't bother to ask," she said. "Anyway, all I know is that a month or two after Kinsley was born, she left. I'm not sure why or what caused her to leave. Only Keith knows, but he won't tell me." Shiro nodded. He figured Keith had really loved her. Keith must have been pretty vulnerable and if she just left…..Shiro knew he'd be closed off even more than when he was a kid.

"I'll talk to him later," he said. "I doubt he'll tell me anything, but I'll let him know he can talk to me when he's ready." Krolia smiled.

"Thank you, Shiro," she said. She looked past him. "I think your playmate is getting lonely." Shiro turned to see Kinsley walking up to them, holding out Captain Emmett.

"Why is his name Captain Emmett? he asked Krolia. Krolia's eyes softened.

"That was the name of Kate's father," she said. "Keith thought Kinsley should have some connection to Kate and her family, even if he doesn't talk about her."

"She doesn't see them?" Shiro asked. Krolia shook her head sadly. Shiro looked down at the little girl.

"Let's go play, yeah?" he asked. He let Kinsley pull him back to her toys. She didn't seem to notice the soft, sad looks Shiro gave her. Clearly, Keith was determined to raise her like he'd been raised, when his dad had been alive. The thought broke Shiro's heart. Just what had his brother been through?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we know a little more about this Kate person, mentioned last chapter. Maybe Keith will open up, who knows.🤷 Plus! Playtime with Uncle Shiro! D'aw!😂 But we have an apology from Lance to look forward to now!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some explanations are given and some kitchen antics ensue. Also, Happy Birthday Pidge! 💚

Keith came back inside an hour later. Alice had sat with him the whole time, turning away everyone except Krolia. She was the only other person Keith was willing to talk about Kate to.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, standing. He had a purple bow in his hair, courtesy of young Kinsley. Keith gave a small smile.

“Nice bow,” he said. Shiro huffed out a laugh.

“You’ve got quite the fashionista on your hands,” he said.

“Daddy!” Kinsley said, running up to her father and hugging his legs. “Uncle Shiro let me do his hair.”

“And what a fabulous job you did,” Keith said, picking Kinsley up. He looked back at Shiro. “Would you mind getting the others? There’s something I want to say.”

“Sure,” Shiro said.

“Wait,” Keith said. “Everyone but Lance. I want him to apologise before he hears this.”

“He’s not gonna like that,” Shiro said. “But that’s as good as any scolding I could give him.”

“You pull out the ‘Dad Voice’?” Keith smirked. Shiro simply rolled his eyes and left to get Pidge and Hunk. Keith sat on the couch with Kinsley.

“Daddy?” she asked.

“Yeah, baby?” he said, setting her on his lap.

“Why do you look sad?” she asked. Keith’s face fell a bit.

“I’ll tell you when you're older,” he said. “Promise.” Kinsley pouted, but didn’t argue. She didn’t want to see her Daddy sad.

“Need me to take her?” Alice asked, coming up behind the couch.

“Yeah,” Keith said. “Why don't you see if my mom is making dinner? Kinsley loves to help in the kitchen.”

“Yay, cooking!” Kinsley yelled, climbing off of Keith’s lap and running ahead of a chuckling Alice. Just then, Shiro, Hunk and Pidge came in. Shiro sat next to Keith, Pidge on the floor, and Hunk in the armchair across from Shiro. Keith couldn’t look them in the eyes.

“Keith?” Pidge asked gently, which was surprising coming from her. “You okay?” Keith nodded.

“I wanted….” he started. He took a shaky breath. “I wanted to tell you guys about….about Kinsley’s mother.” Shiro took a sharp breath, but said nothing.

“What about her?” Hunk asked, carefully.

“Her name is Kate,” Keith said. “We met in a coffee shop. I was….well I had just been going through a rough time. Kate was really nice to me. I thought….I thought maybe she could fix me. Help me start over. So we started dating.”

“Classic coffee shop au,” Pidge said, causing Keith to crack a smile, while Shiro shushed her.

“Sorta,” he said. “Anyway, a few months later….well, you guys know that I’m gay, right?”

“Very,” Pidge said, earning another shush from Shiro.

“Yes, we know,” Hunk said. Keith nodded.

“Well, I got….curious, I suppose,” he said. “And a few weeks later, Kate found out she was expecting. We were both really happy. Kate’s family though….” he trailed off here.

“Your mom said they didn’t like you,” Shiro said. Keith glanced at him, but didn’t seem surprised his brother knew. “Why?”

“They found out I was a possible bisexual,” Keith said. “They were afraid I’d leave her for some other girl. Or guy.”

“Oh, Keith,” Hunk said, standing up and coming to sit on his other side.

“I tried to tell them I would never leave her,” Keith said. “But they didn’t believe me. They tried to talk Kate into giving up her baby for adoption after they were born. She refused. So then they switched tactics and tried to tell her to leave me before I could leave her.”

“They sound horrible,” Pidge said. Keith nodded.

“We didn’t talk to them until after Kinsley was born,” Keith said. “But….Kate started to get tired of Kinsley. Kinsley only calmed down for me, never for Kate. I could see how hard it was for her, fighting to keep her baby, only to have her baby not like her. When Kinsley was nearly three months old….” Keith had to pause, getting too choked up.

“You don’t have to say more,” Shiro said. Pidge placed a hand on his knee, while Hunk wrapped an arm around his shoulders. A few tears escaped down Keith’s cheeks.

“S-She left a note,” he said. “She did-didn’t want to try a-and pretend to be a family. K-Kinsley didn’t like her, she w-was afraid I w-would leave her….”

“That’s enough,” Shiro said. “We understand.”

“You deserve so much better than her, Keith,” Pidge said.

“But you at least have Kinsley,” Hunk said. “And frankly, I think she’s the only girl you’ll ever need in your life.” Keith gave a wet chuckle at that. His brother and friends let him cry for another few minutes, before Keith dried his eyes.

“Thanks,” he said. He took a deep breath, then stood up. “Now I need to find a certain blue-eyed jerk who owes me an apology.” He walked into the kitchen, everyone close behind. When he stepped into the kitchen, however, what he saw made his heart melt.

Kinsley had flour in her hair and a bright smile on her face. Her hands were covered in flour as well, which made sense, seeing as Lance stood in front of her, two tiny flour handprints on his cheeks.

“Oh, it’s on, little missy!” he teased. Kinsley squealed as Lance picked her up and blew a raspberry on her neck.

“Ahh!” Kinsley giggled, squirming in Lance’s hold. Keith barked out a laugh himself. Lance looked up with wide eyes. “Daddy!” Kinsley yelled, squirming again. Lance set her down.

“Hi,” Lance said softly. Keith picked up Kinsley.

“I believe an apology is in order?” Keith said. Lance winced.

“Sorry,” he said. “For pushing you earlier.” Keith sniffed.

“Forgiven,” he said. “It’s hard to stay mad at you when you’re covered in flour.” Lance pouted, but didn’t actually look upset. Keith grinned.

“Daddy!” Kinsley said. “Grandma told us to make a cake!”

“A cake?” Keith said. “What for?”

“It’s Pidge’s birthday, isn’t it?” Krolia said, coming around a corner. She eyed the mess of flour, but decided to let it go for now. Pidge blushed.

“Huh,” she said. “Guess I forgot?”

“Forgot?!” Lance said. “How do you forget your birthday?”

“Well a lot happened today, to be fair,” Pidge said. Keith set Kinsley down, as she started to squirm again. She could be very demanding at times.

“Happy Birthday, Auntie Pidge!” Kinsley yelled. Pidge made a cooing sound.

“Well thank you, little chickadee,” she said, scooping the little girl up. The others stared at her. “What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Hunk said. “Just odd to see you interacting with a kid.” Pidge shrugged.

“She’s cute,” she said.

“So your birthday is April 3rd?” Alice asked. Pidge nodded.

“Yes,” Krolia said. “Now everyone out of my kitchen, except Lance who needs to help me clean up this flour!”

“Aw man!” Lance whined. Kinsley giggled at his antics. Everyone headed back to the living room. Kinsley had stolen Pidge’s glasses and put them on. Her eyes looked like an owl’s, with how big the lenses made them. Pidge chuckled and took them back.

“Don’t want you to hurt your eyes, chickadee,” she said. Kinsley laughed. Keith smiled at his daughter. Not once had he regretted having her in his life. Maybe Hunk was right. She really was the only girl Keith needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww! Guys, I got all sorts of feels writing this chapter! First I felt sad, then my heart melted, then I was happy. Man, what a roller coaster! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I certainly did! <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much fluff....and a little sprinkle of singing.

After dinner (and a fantastic cake that Kinsley made by herself, no one was changing Keith’s mind), they sat and chatted in the living room for awhile. Kinsley had been glued to Pidge the whole time.

“So, Kinsley,” Pidge said. “What do you like to do with your dad?” Kinsley thought for a moment.

“I like watching Aladdin with him!” she said, smiling. Keith groaned.

“I’m pretty sure we can both recite the whole movie at this point,” he said, chuckling. Kinsley wiggled off of Pidge’s lap to walk over to Keith. She gave him a sweet smile.

“Daddy?” she asked innocently. Keith tried not to smile.

“No,” he said. Kinsley gave the biggest fake pout she could manage. His attempts to not smile were slowly failing. Alice nudged him with a smirk.

“Pweeeease?” Kinsley whined. Keith smirked.

“Nooo,” he countered.

“What does she want?” Lance said, who happened to be sitting next to Keith as well. Keith sighed.

“She wants to sing ‘A Whole New World’,” he said. “And every time, she makes me be Aladdin.” Lance laughed.

“Oh, now you have to, Mullet,” Lance said. “You’ll disappoint the little Princess here.” He winked at Kinsley who giggled. Keith sighed again.

“Fine,” he relented. Kinsley cheered. “But no recording, Pidge!”

“It’s my birthday,” she said, smirking. “Consider this your gift to me.” Keith shook his head. He got up and sat on the floor, Kinsley sitting in his lap. He took a breath and started singing.

“‘I can show you the world,’” he sang. He noticed the others were watching him very closely. “‘Shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me, Princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?’” Keith kept his eyes on Kinsley, who was patiently waiting for Jasmine’s part of the song. And if Keith did say so himself, she was a pretty good singer. He totally wasn’t biased.

Once the song was over, his friends applauded, which startled Keith. He sort of forgot they were there. He would never admit it, but that was his favorite song from the movie and he tended to really get into it when Kinsley wanted to sing, so much so that he normally tuned everything else out.

“Keith, you never told me you could sing like that!” Shiro said. Keith tried not to blush.

“I’m not that good,” he mumbled. Lance scoffed.

“And Hunk can’t cook,” Lance said. “Dude, that was amazing!” Now Keith was definitely blushing. Alice laughed.

“Are you okay, Daddy?” Kinsley asked. She put a little hand on his cheek. “You feel warm.”

“O-oh, I’m fine, Kins!” Keith said quickly, blush refusing to die. He moved Kinsley off of him and stood. “I’m just….gonna get some water.”

“Okay,” Hunk said. “Escape if you need to.” Keith hurried out of the room. Alice laughed again.

“I don’t think he knows,” she said. “But the walls are pretty thin in the apartments. All the residents around him can hear when they sing. No complaints, however. It’s really adorable.” Shiro chuckled.

“Of course he wouldn’t realize,” he said. “Speaking of, how did you and Keith meet?” Alice’s smile faltered. She scooped up Kinsley from the floor, setting her on her lap.

“I met him when he and Kinsley first moved to the apartment building,” she said. “Kinsley was only about four months old at the time. Keith would ask me to come and help out if things started to get a bit too stressful.” She looked right at Shiro then. “Keith is like the little brother I never had, and Kinsley like a niece to me.” Shiro nodded.

“Well, thanks for looking out for them,” he said. He gave Alice a smile, one she returned. At that moment, Kinsley gave a huge yawn and curled up in Alice’s lap. Her eyes were still open, however.

“Tired, Kins?” Alice asked. Kinsley shrugged.

“I don’t wanna sleep,” she said.

“Why not?” Alice asked, brushing a lock of raven hair from Kinsley’s eyes. Kinsley sat up a bit.

“‘Cause then I don’t get to say ‘night to Uncle Shiro, Auntie Pidge, Uncle Hunk and Lance!” she protested. Lance noticed that she didn’t give him a familial title like the others. He tried to overlook that. Alice smiled at Kinsley.

“Well, why don’t you say it now, then your daddy can take you home?” Alice suggested. Kinlsey thought for a moment, then nodded. She pushed herself off of Alice’s lap and walked over to Pidge, giving her a hug.

“‘Night!” she said. Pidge ruffled her hair, hugging back.

“Goodnight, chickadee,” she said. Kinsley moved to Shiro, repeating her process.

“‘Night, Kins,” Shiro said. Kinsley made her way over to Hunk then.

“Goodnight, little angel,” he said. Lastly, Kinsley walked over to Lance. Instead of a hug, she stood on her tiptoes, leaned into Lance’s space and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“What was that for?” Lance asked, smiling. Kinsley giggled.

“It’s supposed to be the princess that gets a kiss from the prince,” she said. “But that’s not fair, so I gave you one!” Lance blushed at that.

“You think I’m a prince?” he asked. Kinsley nodded. Lance cooed.

“Aw, goodnight, Princess,” he said, hugging her tightly and giving her a small peck on the forehead. Alice chuckled, untangling Kinsley from his arms.

“Let’s go get your dad, huh?” she said. Kinsley nodded sleepily. Just then, Keith came back out.

“Did she fall asleep?” he asked.

“Right after giving Prince Lance a kiss on the cheek,” Pidge snickered. Keith chuckled.

“Ah, right,” he said, taking Kinsley from Alice. “I forgot she said that yesterday.”

“It was adorable,” Lance said.

“Super cute,” Hunk confirmed. Keith smiled.

“Well, we better head home,” he said. “‘Night, guys.” A chorus of “goodnight”s sounded behind him as he walked to the hallway. Krolia stood on the porch, waiting.

“Come visit more often, okay?” she asked.

“Sure,” Keith asked. Krolia smiled, then gave him a hug, which was a bit awkward with little Kinsley in the way, but they managed.

“Bye, Krolia!” Alice said.

“Bye Alice!” Krolia said. “Keep my son out of trouble!”

“I always do!” Alice assured. Keith rolled his eyes fondly. They got into Keith’s truck, Kinsley fast asleep now.

“Ugh,” Keith said, flopping into the driver’s seat. Alice chuckled.

“Long day?” she joked.

“The longest,” he said, turning the engine on.

“Hey,” Alice said, more seriously. Keith glanced at her. “It went well.” Keith snorted.

“I guess,” he said. “If you look past the breakdown I had earlier, it went off without a hitch.” Alice rolled her eyes.

“But they didn’t judge,” she said. Keith didn’t respond. It had gone well, for the most part.

They got back to the apartment building, Keith saying goodnight to Alice as he walked up to his own apartment. He shouldered open the door, got Kinsley in some pjs (which was near impossible with a sleeping toddler), changed into some pjs himself and sat on the couch. He was drained. It had been quite the day today. Suddenly, his phone chimed. He raised an eyebrow. Who could be texting him? Did he leave something at his mom’s? Keith picked up his phone. It was an unrecognized number. He typed in his passcode and opened the text. Then nearly dropped his phone.

The text read:

‘Hey. I know it’s been awhile, but I wanted to see you and Kinsley. Meet me for coffee tomorrow at 10?

-Kate’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so mean. I know, that angsty cliffhanger after all that fluff? So cruel.
> 
> I was feeling self-indulgent so you get a bit of singing Keith. It's adorable anyway, so. XD
> 
> And AWWW I can't get enough of Kinsley! I decided that all of the Paladins (minus Keith) will have a specific nickname for her. Keith just uses everything because he can. XD If you have ideas for Shiro (because just "Kins" ain't gonna cut it) or possibly Hunk (because I'm not sure if I'm gonna stick with "angel") comment below! I'd love to hear them! <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Kate

Keith woke up tired. After that text, he barely slept last night. He groaned and rolled over to grab his phone from his nightstand. Maybe he could talk to Shiro about it? It did feel nice to have someone besides his mom and Alice to talk to about stuff like this. Not that those two were bad at giving advice, but it was….freeing, knowing his brother knew.

“Dada?” Kinsley called. She sounded muffled, like she was still in her room. Keith got up and crossed the hallway, pushing her door open.

“Yes, baby?” he asked, trying hard not to sound too tired. Kinsley coughed. Keith was immediately awake.

“ Don’t feel good,” she said. “Too hot.” Keith knelt next to her, putting a hand on her forehead. She was indeed burning up.

“Oh, hon,” he said. “Hold on.” He went to get a cold washcloth from the bathroom, being as quick as he could. Kinsley was coughing again when he returned. He noticed her cheeks were flushed from fever. He placed the washcloth on her forehead. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart.” Kinsley moaned a bit, falling into a fitful sleep. Keith sighed. He pulled out his phone again, dialing Alice’s number.

“Hello?” she said, picking up on the third ring.

“Hey,” Keith said. “Would you wanna watch Kinsley for a few hours? She’s sick and I gotta get ready for the day and….deal with stuff.”

“Oh, poor thing,” she said. “I’ll be right up.” Alice hung up. Keith checked to make sure the door was unlocked for Alice, before returning to Kinsley’s side. He heard the door open a few minutes later.

“Thanks for coming,” Keith said, standing up.

“She’ll be in good hands,” Alice said. “Now go make yourself look less like a zombie and more like a civilized human being.”

“Yes ma’am,” Keith said. He felt better knowing Alice would watch over Kinsley. Now it was time to call Shiro. He dialed his brother’s number.

“Hey, Keith!” Shiro answered.

“Hey,” Keith said.

“What’s wrong?” Shiro said. “You sound….upset.”

“Oh, I’m just tired,” he said, truthfully. “And Kinsley woke up with a fever.”

“Oh, that’s too bad!” Shiro said. “Hope she feels better soon!”

“Thanks,” Keith said. “That’s not why I’m calling though.”

“Oh?” Shiro asked. Keith sighed.

“I heard from Kate last night,” he said. It went silent on Shiro’s end.

“What did she want?” he asked finally.

“She wants to meet both Kinsley and I for coffee at 10 today,” Keith said. “Obviously, Kinsley can’t because of her fever, but….” he trailed off.

“Do you want to see her?” Shiro asked. “You have no reason to, unless you want to.”

“I know,” Keith said. “I just….I feel like I should clear the air at least?”

“If that’s what you wanna do,” Shiro said. “Do you want someone to go with you? I’m assuming you got Alice to watch Kinsley?”

“Yeah I did,” Keith confirmed. “And yeah, if it’s not too much trouble. Anyone can come.”

“I’ll see if Lance wants to go,” Shiro said. “I’d go myself, but your mom wants me to see about repairing her basement a bit. Whatever that means.” Keith chuckled at that. “I also don’t trust Pidge to not beat her up after what she did, and I don’t trust Hunk to not start yelling at her right away.”

“Fair enough,” Keith said. “Tell Lance to text me if he can come. I’m gonna go get ready.” Shiro said goodbye, then hung up. Keith took a quick shower, then put on a black t-shirt and jeans, before going to check on Kinsley. Alice caught him outside her door.

“She’s asleep,” Alice said. “I’ll see if she’s up to taking any medicine later.”

“Thanks,” Keith said. “I’m gonna head out for a bit. See you later.”

“I’ll be here!” she said. Keith pulled on his shoes and headed downstairs. His phone buzzed. It was a message from Lance saying he would meet him there. Keith texted him the coffee place. Talulla waved at him as he came down.

“No Kinsley today?” she asked. He smiled. Keith knew Talulla loved Kinsley. Everyone did.

“Nah,” he said. “She’s taking a sick day.”

“Oh, that’s too bad!” Talulla said. Keith chuckled.

“I wish I was taking a sick day,” he said.

“Don’t we all?” Talulla joked. “Well I hope she feels better!” Keith nodded and headed out the door and down the street to the coffee shop.

The coffee shop was about five minutes walking distance, which was handy for Keith if he ever wanted a coffee and was too lazy to make some himself. When he pushed open the door, he saw Lance already waiting for him.

“Hey, man!” Lance said, waving him over. Keith sat next to him. “My text was a bit delayed when I sent it, so I got here before you got the message.”

“I appreciate that you came,” Keith said. “I really don’t want to see Kate by myself.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Lance said. “Shiro filled me in on everything. Since, you know, I wasn’t allowed to hear it from you last night.” Keith rolled his eyes.

“You had to apologize first,” he said. Lance snorted. The door to the coffee shop opened again, prompting the two to look at who came in. Keith swallowed. “That’s her.”

“Wow,” Lance said. “I can see why you fell for her.” He studied the young woman who just came in. She had long, light brown hair and soft brown eyes. Her skin was olive and lightly freckled. She was sorta pretty, at least to Lance. She looked like she wasn’t trying too hard with her appearance, wearing a simple teal sweater and faded jeans. The young woman finally spotted them. She walked over and sat across from Keith.

“Hi, Keith,” she said. Keith crossed his arms.

“Kate,” he said. Silence stretched between them. Lance cleared his throat.

“Hi,” he said, pulling Kate’s attention to him. “I’m Lance. I’m an old friend of Keith’s.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said, giving him a small smile. “I don’t know what Keith has told you about me, but I’m Kate. We dated a few years ago.”

“He knows,” Keith said. Kate’s smile grew strained. She looked around a bit.

“Did Kinsley not want to come?” she asked. Keith sighed.

“She woke up with a fever this morning,” he said. “I have my neighbor watching her.”

“I see,” Kate said, sounding disappointed. “That’s too bad. I was hoping to see my daughter.”

“Why?” Lance asked. Kate looked at him.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“I don’t mean to sound rude,” Lance said. “And it’s not really my place, but why do you want to see Kinsley? It’s not like you cared when you walked out on her and Keith three years ago.” Keith stared at Lance, impressed. Kate glared at him.

“You’re right,” she said. “It’s not your place. I was a stupid teen who got overwhelmed. Kinsley didn’t seem to like me anyway, and my family thought it would be best if I put some distance between myself and Keith. I agreed.”

“So why are you coming back now?” Keith asked, coolly. Kate sighed.

“I made a mistake,” she said. “I want to be a part of Kinsley’s life, even if she hates me. I don’t expect you to get back together with me. I think we’ve both moved on. But I want Kinsley to come and stay with me on weekends. I want to know my daughter.” Keith stared at her, dumbfounded.

“What makes you think you can just take her from me?” he asked. Kate bristled.

“Take her from you?” she asked. “What I proposed is more than fair. You raised her for three years, I think she can stay with me for the weekends.”

“You have no right to call her your daughter,” Keith said. “You’re right, I raised her for three years. By MYSELF. She’s MY daughter, no one else's. You weren’t there for her then, you won’t be there now.” Keith stood to leave. Lance got up after him.

“Keith-” Kate started.

“Stay away from me and Kinsley,” he said. He walked out the door. Lance hung back.

“You really hurt him,” Lance said. “I only just found out about all of this yesterday, and even I can see how much he’s still hurting. I think it’s best you do as he says.” He didn’t bother waiting for her response, following quickly after Keith. He found the other boy leaning against the wall a few feet away from the door, arms still crossed. Lance noticed he was shaking.

“L-Lance,” he said, seeing Lance approach. Lance didn’t say a word, simply pulling Keith into a hug.

“I’m sorry,” he said, while Keith let a few silent tears fall onto Lance’s shirt. “I’m so sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup! That happened! And that's not the last we will be seeing of Kate. And poor Kinsley! I needed an excuse for her not to go with Keith, but I couldn't think of anything better than getting her sick. Don't worry, she'll be better soon! Perhaps I'll write a fluffy scene of Keith taking care of her.
> 
> Also! Thank you to Maryliz2121 and shaneEgirlo for suggesting a food nickname for Hunk to use with Kinsley! I've decided he is going to call her "Snickerdoodle", because that was the type of cookie he gave her when they first met! shaneEgirlo also suggested that Shiro call her "Starlight" which was just perfect! Thank you all so much for the suggestions!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is a good friend.

Lance took Keith to his house, right after nabbing Keith’s phone and texting Alice about what happened. She had a few colorful things to say about Kate.

“Lance?” Keith asked from his spot on Lance’s couch.

“What’s up?” Lance asked from the kitchen.

“Do you have any ice cream?” Keith asked. Lance paused.

“Uh, maybe?” he said. “Let me check.” He rummaged through his freezer for a moment. “Is mint okay?”

“Sure,” Keith said. Lance grabbed it from the freezer, then stopped.

“Wait a minute,” he muttered. He poked his head out to the living room. Keith was wrapped up in a blanket at one end of the couch. “Last time I checked, aren’t you lactose intolerant?” Keith blushed.

“No?” he tried. Lance frowned.

“No ice cream,” he said firmly. Keith pouted. Lance put the ice cream back and grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from his “keep-away-from-Pidge” stash. He walked back to the living room, flopping down next to Keith. “Here,” he said, handing him the cookie. Keith took it with both hands and started eating it like a child. It was adorable.

“Thanks,” Keith said between bites.

“Stress eater?” Lance asked. Keith shrugged.

“Sometimes,” he said. “Only when Kinsley isn’t around.” Lance nodded.

“So what are you going to do about Kate?” Lace asked carefully. Keith swallowed a bite of cookie.

“She’s not her mother,” Keith said. “I've been Kinsley’s only parent for three years, and now she just wants to shove herself back into our lives? I don’t think so. And I don’t say any of this lightly, you know how rough my own childhood was.” Lance hummed in agreement. Keith was referring to his time in the system before Shiro’s family adopted him. He had been in some pretty bad homes, all while still coping with the death of his dad and the fact that he had never known his own mother. When Lance had heard Keith and his mom had reunited, he was so happy for the other boy. Lance was sure that Keith would never want the same for Kinsley.

“What if Kate takes this to court?” Lance said. “She very well could.”

“I will fight her,” Keith said. “Her reasons for walking out are ridiculous and the fact that she walked out at all is inexcusable. She left her baby, Lance, when that baby needed her most.”

“Actually,” Lance said, looking at Keith curiously. “What does Kinsley know about her mom?” Keith looked at the half eaten cookie in his hand.

“She, uh….” Keith started. “She knows she has a mom, obviously, and she knows I get sad when her mom is brought up. It’s not like she’s waiting for her to come back, but….I’m pretty sure she thinks Kate is dead, what with the way I act about it all.”

“I mean, that makes sense,” Lance said. “She probably doesn’t understand that a person can be sad about someone just leaving, rather than if they had died. She’s sort of at that age where death isn’t really a concept yet, I guess. I’m just speculating though.” Keith shrugged, continuing to eat his cookie. Lance’s phone buzzed. It was a text from Shiro, asking how it went.

“What is it?” Keith asked, trying to peer at the screen over Lance’s shoulder.

“Shiro wants to know how it went,” Lance said. Keith sighed, pulling out his own phone.

“I’ll call him,” he said. Lance nodded and went to the kitchen, both to give Keith a minute with his brother, and to get himself a cookie.

After a few minutes, Lance came back to find Keith wiping away a few stray tears.

“Got emotional again,” he explained.

“That’s alright,” Lance said. “You have every right to be upset.” Keith gave him a watery smile.

“Thanks, Lance,” he said. “For everything.” Lance returned the smile.

“Anytime, man,” he said. Keith checked the time on his phone.

“Ah, I should probably get going,” Keith said. “As much as Alice says she can watch Kinsley forever, I don’t want to take advantage of her time.”

“Yeah, sure,” Lance said. “Walk safe.” Keith nodded, heading out the door.

When Keith got to the apartment building, he gave Talulla a small wave before sprinting up the steps. He really wanted to hold his daughter now. After Kate’s demands of wanting Kinsley to stay with her on weekends, he wasn’t going to let his baby girl go so easily.

“Oh, Keith!” Alice said, as Keith literally flung open the door. He ignored her for a moment before scooping Kinsley up and giving her a tight hug. Alice simply gave the father and daughter a small smile. “I’ll head back downstairs. Don’t hesitate to call if you need me. It’s going to be okay.” With that she left. Keith continued to hug Kinsley.

“Dada?” she asked softly.

“Daddy loves you very much Kinsley,” he said. “You know that, right?” He pulled away enough to see her face.

“I love you too Daddy!” Kinsley said with a bright smile. Keith gave a soft chuckle.

“You want to watch Aladdin?” he asked. Kinsley gasped.

“Yay!” she squealed, wriggling in his arms to get down. Keith laughed and watched as she ran to her room to grab her favorite purple blanket and bundle up on the couch. Keith put the movie in and snuggled up next to her. He wasn’t paying much attention to the movie though, instead watching his daughter as Kinsley sang along to “One Jump”. He paused the movie for a moment.

“Kinsley,” he said, ignoring the pout on her face for a moment.

“Yes, Daddy?”

“How would you like to stay with Lance tomorrow?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo what could Keith have in mind??? Guess you'll have to wait!
> 
> Also, I fully intend for Kate to fight back somehow. Wouldn't be much of a story without a little conflict! ;)
> 
> Another also, I sorta forgot that Kinsley is sick, but don't worry I'll fix that in next chapter. Gotta have a proper recovery scene for her. :D


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance babysits for a little princess.

Keith rang Lance's doorbell. He never realized how close Lance lived to them, yet they hadn't talked in years before now. Keith hadn't appreciated Lance's place last time (meltdowns could do that to a person), but now he saw that Lance's little two-story house was quite nice. It was near the edge of the city, but close enough to Keith's own apartment that the drive wasn't too bad. Unless you had a sick toddler.

"Dada?" Kinsley said as they waited. "Are you gonna stay too?" Keith shook his head.

"Daddy has something he needs to do," he said. Just then, Lance opened the door.

"Well hello, princessa!" he said. Kinsley smiled, before coughing.

"Hi," she said, giving a small wave.

"She came down with something yesterday," Keith said. Lance nodded, remembering Keith mentioning something before. "Alice went to visit her uncle today, and I hate asking Talulla to watch her when she's working. So, would you wanna babysit for awhile?" Lance beamed.

"Of course!" he said. He crouched down to be eye level with Kinsley. "We're gonna have some fun together and hopefully help you feel better too!" Kinsley smiled, before sneezing in Lance's general direction.

"Elbow, Kins," Keith reminded. "Sorry, she's still trying to remember."

"No worries," Lance said, standing back up. He pointed to the backpack Keith was holding, Keith seeming to have forgotten he brought it in the first place. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh!" Keith said. "Just some pajamas, in case I'm gone longer than expected, and her lion plushy Red." Lance took the backpack. Keith crouched down to give Kinsley a hug.

"Bye, Dada," she said, which made Lance's heart melt.

"Bye baby," he said. "Be good for Lance." With that, he stood and left. Lance led Kinsley inside.

"You hungry, princess?" he asked. Kinsley gave a little nod. "Ok, what would you like to eat? It's still a bit early….have you had breakfast yet?"

"Nuh uh," Kinsley said, reaching for the backpack. Lance pulled out Red and handed it to the little girl, who held the plushy tightly. She coughed again.

"Hmm…." Lance said, thinking. "How about oatmeal?" Kinsley stared at him.

"Like the mushy stuff Daddy eats sometimes?" she asked.

"Uh, maybe," Lance said. He really hoped she meant oatmeal and not the Malt-O-Meal stuff his dad used to eat. Now THAT stuff was mushy. Lance got to work making some oatmeal. He also grabbed some frozen blueberries. Kinsley watched him as he cooked. When he was almost done, Kinsley climbed into a chair.

"Thank you!" she said, as Lance placed a bowl in front of her.

"You're very welcome," he said, smiling. His smile grew as he watched her eyes widen when she noticed how the frozen blueberries warmed up and made the oatmeal purple.

"It's purple!" she yelled excitedly, pointing at her bowl. Lance chuckled.

"That's the blueberries," he said. Kinsley reached for her spoon and dug in. She made a happy noise. "Good?" She nodded. Lance went back to the kitchen to grab a bowl for himself. When he got back, he saw that Kinsley was nearly done with hers, so he gave her a little more. He didn't want to give her too much, in case it upset her stomach and she threw up later.

After eating, Lance cleaned up their dishes. Kinsley was a surprising not a messy eater, so there was little mess to clean. Kinsley watched as Lance filled the sink with soap.

"Bubbles!" she said, Red still tucked under her arm. Lance picked her up and set her on the counter so she could see better. She cautiously poked her finger at one of the larger bubbles. When it popped, she giggled. She popped another giggling again. Lance chuckled at her actions.

"So what did you do with your Daddy yesterday?" Lance asked as he finished the dishes. "He said you started feeling sick then."

"Watched Aladdin!" Kinsley said. "Daddy sang almost all the songs with me!"

"Oh did he?" Lance asked, draining the sink. He put Kinsley on the floor before she noticed the bubbles disappearing. "Do you think I'm as good as him?" Kinsley's eyes widened.

"Yeah!" she said, hopping a little. Suddenly, she started coughing again, more of a fit this time than the previous ones. Lance quickly grabbed a small glass and filled it with water.

"Here," he said, handing her the glass. He gently took Red so she could hold the glass with both hands, as he was fresh out of sippy cups. She carefully took a few sips and the coughing subsided.

"Thank you," Kinsley said.

"Of course, princessa," Lance said. He traded her Red for the cup, whom she hugged tightly. Lance led her over to the living room, where he pulled out a record player.

"What's that?" Kinsley asked.

"It's called a record player, " Lance said, picking up a record. "This is a record. When I put it in here, it will play music."

"Really?" Kinsley asked, watching curiously as Lance put the record in and carefully lowered the needle. The first song from Aladdin started up. Kinsley squealed.

"Yay!" she said, dancing to the music. Lance smiled. He loved Disney movies, and while most might find it odd, he loved the way music sounded from records. When he saw this in the store, he bought it instantly. Good thing Aladdin was Kinsley's favorite.

"'Arabian Nights, 'neath Arabian moons!'" Lance sang, causing Kinsley to giggle. They continued singing the songs until the record finally stopped. Kinsley gave a big yawn.

"'M sleepy," she said, rubbing her eye with a little fist. Lance brought her to his room.

"You can take a nap in here," he said. He helped her up, then placed his hand on her forehead. Not too warm right now, but he would check in her again in an hour.

"Night night, Lance," she said. Lance smiled.

"Have a good nap, princessa," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many things in here that I drew from my own life, like the frozen blueberries in their oatmeal and the record of Aladdin songs.💕😂
> 
> You may be wondering was it is Keith went off to do. Well, I won't give any spoilers, but I promise it'll be worth the wait. 😏 (I do actually have a plan, but it needs to be written out a certain way, so have patience.😉😂)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revealing Keith's mission!

Keith was honestly a bit excited.

Ok, so this plan was a bit dumb, seeing as he still hadn't gotten his paycheck from work yet, and really shouldn't be spending his money on this…..but he usually acted on instinct, so sue him.

Keith gripped the steering wheel with anticipation. He was going to meet with a friend of his, Allura. She was Shiro's girlfriend, before he realized he was gay and then started dating Adam, which fell through not too long after it started. Anyway, Allura and Shiro still got along and Keith became good friends with her. He also knew that her uncle, Coran, owned a dog that had just had a few puppies.

His phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?" Keith answered, phone on speaker.

"Are you on your way?" Allura's voice said. Keith chuckled.

"I'm almost there," he said.

"Good, I'm impatient," Allura snarked back.

"Good to hear from you too," Keith said, causing Allura to chuckle.

"I can't wait to see you, it's been too long!" Allura said. "Kinsley must be so big now!"

"Big and energetic," Keith confirmed. "Which is why I think this is the perfect idea."

"Oh, you'll both love the puppies!" Allura cooed. "Coran has refused to name them, saying he doesn't want to get attached. Trust me, as soon as Kinsley picks one, he'll start balling!" Keith laughed.

"Well, Kins is sick today," Keith said. "I'm just coming to meet them, but as soon as she's better, she's coming to pick one."

"That's a good plan," Allura said. Keith turned off the road and down a dirt driveway.

"I'm here," he said.

"Finally, took you ages!" Allura said. Keith hung up. He stepped out of his truck to see Allura running towards him.

"Keith!" she said. "So good to see you!" She gave him a hug.

"You too," Keith said, hugging back. Allura stepped away, pulling him along.

"This way!" she said. "The puppies are feeling playful!" Allura led him to her living room, where a sizeable section had been blocked off for the puppies to play in, the proud momma watching over them. Keith gasped. He was a sucker for dogs, and these puppies were adorable.

"Oh my goodness," he said. Allura smiled.

"Coran wished he could be here, but with the four new puppies, food has been going fast!" Allura said. Keith chuckled.

"I bet," he said. He studied the puppies.

One was a dark grey with curlier fur, who was lying down by itself. The next puppy was black, white and tan with the same curly fur, who was playing tug-o-war with a pink rope toy against an all white puppy with more wavy fur. The last puppy was personally Keith's favorite. It was black and white with wavy fur, and it just bounded over to him and Allura, yipping happily and wagging its tail so hard it's little body was doing a full on wiggle.

"There are two of each," Allura said. "The black, white and tan one is a boy and so is the grey one. The white one and the black and white one are girls."

"Ugh, I wish I could take them all," Keith said, reaching down to give the black and white one a scratch behind her ear. All the puppies were about two months old, so they would probably need to be trained a bit, at least moreso than they seemed to be. The puppy licked his hand. "I'm gonna die of cuteness." Allura giggled.

"They are very playful, but can be pretty mellow at times too," she said. "And best part? They don't shed."

"That is the best part," Keith agreed, the other puppies coming over to also lick his hand. The momma dog watched her young carefully, but didn't growl at Keith so he took it as a win. Keith stood back up.

"Hopefully Kinsley feels better tomorrow," Allura said.

"I hope so too," Keith agreed. "But at least I can go shopping today for everything we will need. Minus a collar, as I want to let Kinsley name our new puppy."

"Aw, that's adorable!" Allura gushed. Keith grinned sheepishly.

"Ok, I better head out," he said. Allura grinned.

"I hope to see you both tommorow!" Allura said. Keith reached down and gave the white one a final pat on the head before heading out to buy puppy essentials.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, it's my birthday and this is a little gift to me. I'm basing this chapter and the next on the day I got my own pup. (If you've seen my note in Journey, you'll know my pupper was a girl🥰). Care to guess which puppy she was?😉 (You've got a 50/50 chance and the answer will be revealed next chapter.)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kinsley gets a puppy

Lance woke up to something poking his face.

"Lance," a tiny voice said. Lance groaned, opening his eyes. Kinsley stook next to his bed, her lion plushy, Red, tucked under one arm, while her other arm reached across to poke at Lance's cheek. Lance pushed himself up.

"Morning, Kinsley," Lance said. "Feeling better?" Kinsley nodded. Lance smiled. Keith had texted yesterday, wondering if Kinsley could spend the night, as he was trying to plan a surprise for her. Lance told him it was no trouble and the little princess was a delight to look after. After Kinsley had napped for a few hours, she'd gotten up coughing again. Lance had given her some cold medicine and they watched Disney movies for the afternoon, Kinsley singing along to every song. Lance may or may not have recorded a few.

"I hungry!" she said, drawing Lance's attention back to her. Lance chuckled, getting out of bed.

"Is that so?" he asked. "Well would la princessa like for breakfast?" Kinsley giggled.

"Cereal!" she said. Lance nodded. He walked to the kitchen, Kinsley close behind. Lance pulled out a box of Krave cereal (because it's delicious and no one can tell him otherwise). He grabbed two bowls, one for each, and set one in front of Kinsley with a small glass of milk.

"I like to eat some of it first, before I add milk," Lance said, taking a piece from his own bowl and popping it in his mouth. Kinsley's eyes lit up and she mimicked him.

"It's chocolate!" she said. Lance laughed.

"Sure is," he said. "What kind of cereal do you have at home?"

"Daddy has Cheerios," Kinsley said. Lance made a face.

"The plain ones?" he asked. Kinsley looked confused.

"There are more?" she asked. Lance nearly facepalmed himself. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Lance went to open it, but Kinsley barrelled past him.

"Kinsley, hold on!" Lance chuckled, catching up and opening the door. Keith stood on the other side.

"Daddy!" Kinsley yelled, hugging her father's legs.

"Hey, Kins!" he said, crouching down to hug her properly. He looked back up at Lance. "Thanks for watching her."

"We had a blast, right princess?" Lance said. Kinsley nodded. Keith stood back up.

"I brought a change of clothes for her," he said, holding out a bundle Lance hadn't noticed before. He stepped aside to let them in, Keith handing Kinsley her clothes before she ran off into the other room.

"So where did you go yesterday?" Lance asked, finishing his cereal. Keith smiled.

"Do you wanna come with and see?" he asked. Lance paused.

"What?" he asked.

"Come with," Keith said. "I bet Kinsley would love to have you along." Lance gaped at him, then remembered he had a mouth full of cereal and quickly closed it.

"Uh, sure!" Lance said. "Just let me go put some clothes on." He dashed up to his room, throwing on a blue shirt and a pair of darker jeans. He quickly brushed his teeth and finger-combed his hair. When he came back down, he saw Keith and Kinsley waiting for him, Kinsley getting her shoes on. She was wearing a white tank top with pink shorts, and a pink headband.

"Got it!" Kinsley said as she got her other shoe on. She stood up and grabbed Lance's hand. "Dad says he has a surprise for me!"

"So he said," Lance said. Keith led them to his truck, putting Kinsley in back and Lance climbing into the passenger side. Keith started it up and off they went.

Keith smiled at Kinsley in the rearview mirror. She was staring out the window at the moment, but she had been chatting with him and Lance for awhile. Suddenly, Kinsley gasped.

"A rainbow!" she said. Lance leaned forward to see.

"Oh yeah!" he said. Keith spared a small glance out his window, before turning his eyes back to the road. There indeed was a rainbow, boldly sitting in the sky. Kinsley giggled.

"Are we there yet?" she asked.

"A few more minutes, baby," Keith said. He smiled at her again.

Finally, they made it to Allura's again. Coran and Allura were waiting for them.

"Ah, Keith!" Coran said. "Good to see you again!"

"Good to see you too," he said, helping Kinsley out of the car.

"Oh, Kinsley! You're so big now!" Allura said. Kinsley waved.

"Hi!" she said.

"You probably don't remember them," Keith said. "But these are Daddy's friends, Coran and Allura."

"Hello young lady!" Coran said, twirling his bright orange mustache. "And hello, Lance! Didn't know you were coming along!"

"Last minute decision," Lance shrugged. He went and gave Allura a hug.

"Been awhile, hasn't it?" she said. Lance nodded.

"I think we should head inside now, yes?" Coran said.

"Yeah," Keith said. "So Kinsley can see her surprise." Kinsley started bouncing.

"Yay!" she said. Allura chuckled at the little girl's enthusiasm. The group walked inside. Coran led them over to the puppies. Kinsley gasped.

"Surprise," Keith said, kneeling down. "You get to pick out your very own puppy." Kinsley stared at him in shock. Then, she threw her tiny arms around him as tight as she could.

"Thank you!" she said, letting go. She slowly approached the puppies.

"Wow," Lance said. "What made you decide to get a puppy?" Keith shrugged.

"Partly impulse," he said. "And partly because I thought it would do Kinsley good to have a furry companion." Lance smiled, turning back to Kinsley. She was currently petting the black and white puppy, whose tail was wagging at supersonic speeds.

"This one!" she said. Allura smiled, scooping the puppy up to hand her to Kinsley.

"This is a girl puppy," she said, showing the younger girl how to hold her properly. Kinsley cradled the puppy close.

"What are you going to name her, Kins?" Keith asked. Kinsley didn't answer for a moment. Then she looked up.

"Lily," she said. Newly named Lily yipped, as if she approved of the girl's choice. Keith smiled.

"Aw, that's so cute!" Lance cooed. Coran handed Keith some paperwork. Once it was all signed, Lily was officially theirs.

"All that's left is to get a collar," Keith said. Kinsley held her new puppy close as they got back into Keith's truck. They quickly stopped at a pet store to get a collar and tag.

"What about this one?" Lance asked, holding a collar. It was a striped green and pink collar.

"Yeah!" Kinsley said. They bought it and a small, purple heart shaped tag with Lily's name on it. Kinsley put it on her as soon as she was able.

"I love you Lily," she said, causing the two men with her to coo. They got in the truck and headed to drop off Lance at home. Kinsley and Lily had fallen asleep, Lance snapping a picture.

"Send that to me," Keith said.

"Sure thing," he said. They stopped at Lance's. "Thanks for inviting me with. Cutest day ever." Keith chuckled.

"It was fun," he said. "We should hang out again." Lance grinned.

"Definitely," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys.....GUYS......my HEART.💕
> 
> Ugh, this chapter gave me all the feels. I based this off of when I first got Lily (though some things are changed for story reasons.😅) and I also saw a rainbow that day. Didn't feel right to not have it in there.😊🌈
> 
> Leave me your comments, I love reading them! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.🥰


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gets some bad news

Keith would admit. The puppy was adorable.

"Daddy, look!" Kinsley said, Lily trailing happily after her. Kinsley had tied a purple ribbon to her collar. Keith thought it was supposed to be a bow, but it was a bit messy. Kinsley herself was wearing a light purple skirt and bright blue sweater.

"Well, don't you two look cute," Keith smiled. Lily yipped happily at that, causing Keith to chuckle. He reached down and fixed the bow, Kinsley giggling.

"Daddy, will you give me pigtails?" she asked.

"Sure, baby," he said, getting up to grab the needed supplies. He returned to find Kinsley sitting on the floor, Lily in her lap. Keith swooned at how cute they looked.

"Purple!" Kinsley said, seeing the hair ties in Keith's hand.

"Now you and Lily can match," he said, sitting behind her to do her hair. Once he finished, a knock sounded. Lily barked.

"No no, Lily!" Kinsley said. Lily went quiet, but wagged her tail happily. Keith smiled at them before opening the door.

"Hi, Keith!" Alice said.

"Alice!" Keith said. "What brings you by?"

"I live below you," she said. "Did you think I wouldn't notice Kinsley with a new puppy?" Keith laughed, letting her inside. Lily bounded up to her and placed her little front paws on Alice's shins. "Oh, she's adorable!"

"Kinsley picked her out," Keith said.

"Her name is Lily!" Kinsley said proudly.

"What a pretty name," Alice said, giving Lily a scratch behind her ear. "Just like you, Kinsley." Kinsley beamed at that. Alice stood.

"There is actually another reason I'm here," she said.

"Oh?" Keith said.

"Maybe we should talk," Alice said. Keith got the hint.

"Kins, why don't you and Lily go play in your room for a bit?" he said. "Auntie Alice and I have to talk."

"Okay!" Kinsley said, scooping up Lily and toddling off to her room.

"What's wrong?" Keith asked. Alice sighed.

"Kate," she said. Keith froze.

"What about her?" he asked quietly.

"She came around yesterday," Alice said. "Looking for Kinsley." Keith saw red.

"That b-" he started.

"I know," Alice cut him off. "I was in the lobby when she got here. Was just heading out to go shopping when I overheard her asking for your apartment. Talulla, bless her heart, wouldn't give it to her. Said she needed to know how Kate knew you and Kinsley."

"Remind me to thank Talulla later," Keith sighed. Alice smiled.

"She is the best," Alice said. "Anyway, I walked over and told Kate that you and Kinsley were out. I actually didn't even know it was Kate at first, thought she was just an old friend of yours. That's when she told me."

"She told you what?" Keith said.

"Nothing you haven't told me," Alice said. She frowned. "But she didn't tell me why she had come by. Keith, would you know, by any chance?" Keith didn't answer.

"Um," he said, not looking at Alice.

"Hon," Alice said. "I can't help if you do not tell me." Keith sighed.

"She wants to be a part of Kinsley's life," he said. "And I said no." Alice nodded.

"I see," she said.

"As Kinsley's legal guardian I can decide that," Keith continued. "Kate walked out, she hasn't been Kinsley's mother for three years, and suddenly she wants to be? I just can't, Alice." Alice pulled Keith into a hug.

"It's okay," Alice said. "You're doing what you think is best." Keith nodded. Suddenly, another knock sounded at the door. Keith answered it to find Talulla standing there.

"Keith," she said.

"Hi, Talulla," Keith said. "Alice told me about yesterday. Thanks for that." Talulla shook her head.

"No thanks needed," she said. "But I wish I could have done more." Before Keith could ask, Talulla handed him a piece of paper. "Kate came and dropped this off." Keith read it over.

It was a court summons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup! It's happening. Kate is taking this to court. (I'm aware many of you said hands would be thrown if this happened....feel free to throw them.😂✋)
> 
> But at least Keith's got some good friends. Kudos to Alice and Talulla for getting Kate to leave.👏👏


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's reaction

"Keith-" Alice tried.

"Just…." Keith cut her off. "Stay with Kinsley. I need some air." He brushed past her and Talulla, trying not to race down the stairs.

"Daddy?" he heard Kinsley call.

"He'll be back later, Kins," Alice responded. That was the last Keith heard before he rounded a corner. He still had the letter gripped in his hand. It crumpled in his fist, but he didn't dare drop it. He raced to his truck getting in and slamming the door shut. He felt like screaming. Instead, his phone buzzed. Lance was calling.

"Hello?" Keith answered, trying not to let his voice crack.

"Hey!" Lance said. "Was just calling to see how Kinsley and Lily are getting on?"

"Fine," Keith said, not in the mood to talk. Lance seemed to notice.

"You okay?" he asked. Keith put a hand over his phone as a muffled sob escaped him.

"N-no," he admitted. "L-Lance….Kate, she…."

"Say no more," Lance said, voice hard. "Where are you?"

"P-parking lot," Keith said. "In my-my truck."

"Stay there, I'm on my way," Lance said. "You want Shiro to come?"

"Yes," Keith said, another sob escaping, louder this time.

"I'll call him," Lance said, hanging up. Keith dropped his phone in the cup holder, using both hands to bury his face in. How could Kate do this? Why now? Keith had every legal right to Kinsley….didn't he?

Suddenly, the passenger door opened, Lance climbing in and pulling Keith into a hug.

"Breathe, Keith," he said, softly. Keith realized he was gasping. Panic attack, his mind said helpfully. "In. Out." Keith took careful breaths, trying to calm down. He wasn't aware when his door opened, but he could feel a hand on his back.

"Sh-Shiro," he said.

"Hey, Keith," Shiro said. "You okay now?" Keith slowly disentangled himself from Lance.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm okay."

"What happened?" Shiro asked. "Lance told me it had something to do with Kate?" Keith nodded.

"Take your time," Lance said, watching Keith carefully.

"She's taking this to court," Keith said after a minute. "She wants to fight me for Kinsley." He heard Lance suck in a breath.

"Keith," he said. "She won't win."

"She abandoned you-" Shiro added.

"But that's just it!" Keith said. "We never legally established who got custody of Kinsley, she just left! What if the court decides she's a better parent than me? What if-"

"Keith, stop!" Shiro said. "She can't win. Like you said, she left. She gave up her right to be Kinsley's mom. The court won't find her to be a better parent than you, the dad that put his life on hold for his three year old daughter."

"He's right," Lance said, reaching over to give Keith's hand a squeeze. "Kate has nothing, she isn't going to win. If she wanted to be Kinsley's mom, she would have stayed in her life, not walking out because she couldn't handle it." Keith let out a shuddering breath.

"Okay," he said. "Okay."

"Want me to look after Kinsley while this is going on?" Lance offered.

"Thanks," Keith said. " But she should stay at my mom's. I'd…. actually like you and Alice to come with me. Shiro? Would you take Kinsley to mom's?"

"Sure," Shiro said. "I'll look after her. I'm still there with Pidge and Hunk. She'll be okay."

"Thank you," Keith said. He squeezed Lance's hand, returning the comforting gesture.

"Anytime," Lance said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Lance are right, Kate has nothing to prove she's the "better" parent and her walking out does not help. However, Keith's concerns are valid, seeing as Kinsley is his world.💕 Good thing Lance and Shiro are there to help him.
> 
> Let me know what you think so far! I love reading your comments!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter, but we're off to court!

The following week, Keith, Lance and Alice dropped Kinsley off with Shiro. It had been a rough time, trying to keep Kinsley in the dark. Keith didn't want to worry her, not that she could understand all the legal jargon anyway. But she knew something was up.

"What's going on?" Kinsley asked. Keith kissed her forehead.

"Daddy just has to go take care of something," he said. "You gonna be good for Uncle Shiro and Grandma?" Kinsley nodded.

"Love you, Dada," she said.

"Love you too, baby," he said. He passed her to Shiro.

"It'll be fine," he said, taking the little girl. Keith nodded.

"Ready?" Lance asked.

"Yeah," he said. They climbed into Alice's car. She had insisted on driving.

"When we get there," she said. "We're going to have to do a lot of waiting." Keith nodded. He trusted what Alice said, as her mom had been a lawyer once upon a time.

"Government crap always seems to take forever," Lance grumbled from the back seat. Keith sighed.

"It sure does," he agreed.

Finally, they pulled up to the court house. Keith walked up to the front desk in the lobby.

"Name?" the lady said. She was a middle-aged woman with long brown hair.

"Keith Kogane," he said. "I got a court summons from Kate Taylor about custody of my daughter."

"Ah, yes" the lady said. "I'll get you checked in, someone should be here to escort you to the court room shortly." Keith nodded nervously. Lance sat him down, Alice talking to the receptionist still.

"We're gonna make sure Kate doesn't win," Lance said. "Any doubts you have of not winning? Gone." Keith smiled.

"Thank you, Lance," he said, reaching over to squeeze his hand. Lance's cheeks went pink. Just then, Alice came back over.

"Okay," she said. "I told them I am your attorney and Lance is moral support. While Lance won't get a say in anything, he'll be right there with you."

"Okay," Keith said. Lance pouted.

"Well that sucks for me," he said. "But at least I'm allowed in with you guys."

"Moral support is very important," Alice said. "Takes some of the edge off." Suddenly, a man walked over to them.

"Mr. Kogane?" he asked. Keith stood. "Follow me." They followed the man down a hallway and into a court room. Kate was already there, a woman with short black hair beside her and….her father sitting behind her. Mr. Taylor glared at Keith as he walked past. Alice pushed him forward.

"Don't bother," she whispered, sitting him down. Lance sat behind him, a hand dropped on his shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze. The judge came out.

"I am Judge Artemis Wilson," the woman said. She sat down in front of them. "Today, April 14th, 2020, I will preside over the case of Taylor v. Kogane for the custody of their daughter, Kinsley." Keith clenched his hands into fists, still nervous. The judge gestured over to Kate first. The attorney stood up.

"Thank you, Your Honor," she said. "My client here had originally requested she be allowed to see her daughter on the weekends. This appears to be a reasonable request, however her terms have changed. She wants sole custody of Kinsley, no visitation rights. We are willing to negotiate however." The lady sat back down. Judge Wilson gestured to Alice.

"My client has spent the past three years taking care of Kinsley," Alice said confidently. "After her mother walked Doug of her life with nothing but a bite explaining her actions." She pulled out that very note. Keith had kept it this whole time, not knowing why, but not having the heart to throw it out. He was so glad he did.

"May I see it?" Judge Wilson asked. Alice nodded and brought it to her. She read it over. "Ms. Taylor, did you in fact leave this note?"

"Yes," Kate said.

"And did you leave because you didn't, and I quote, 'want to pretend to be a family anymore'?" she asked.

"I….yes," Kate answered. Judge Alison sniffed, handing the note back to Alice, who sat down.

"What terms do you have for Kinsley, Mr. Kogane?" Judge Wilson asked. Alice stood again.

"The same as Ms. Taylor," she said. "However we are not willing to negotiate visitation."

"And why is that?" the judge asked.

"Ms. Taylor and her family belittled my client after he came out to them as being gay," she said. Keith tried not to wince. These weren't pleasant memories. "This occurred after discovering Ms. Taylor was pregnant."

"Is this true?" Judge Wilson asked Kate.

"Your Honor, I don't see the point to this," the attorney said. "Kinsley is still biologically my client's daughter, and-"

"I asked if that was true," the judge interrupted. The attorney shut her mouth, nodding slowly. Kate stood up.

"I stood by his side until after Kinsley was born," she said. "Kinsley hated me. That's why I left. But I was dumb and too selfish to see that had been a mistake. Yes, I said I was afraid he would leave me, but now I see that it was for the best. I just want to be in my daughter's life." Keith saw red.

"You gave up that right when you walked out!" he yelled, standing up. "You weren't ready to be a parent so you ran! I did everything I had to in order to give Kinsley the life she deserves! I put my entire life on hold! And you didn't even bother to call in three years!" Alice stood, pushing him back down, while Kate's attorney did the same. Judge Wilson stared between them.

"The timeframe is quite odd," she said. "Ms. Taylor, would you like to explain why it has been three years since you last saw your daughter?" Kate blushed.

"I….well," she said. "You see, I met someone else and….we got married a year after Kinsley was born, and a year after that….my son Tyler was born." Keith stared at her in shock. "I love Tyler, but he reminded me of Kinsley and I realized the mistake I made. I wanted Kinsley to know her half-brother." The whole room went silent.

"I see," Judge Wilson said. She turned back to Keith. "Does this news change any of your terms, Mr. Kogane?" Keith sat in silence for a moment. Then, he shook his head.

"No," he said. "I don't care if she finally realized her mistake. She didn't want anything to do with Kinsley beforehand. Another child isn't going to change my mind." Judge Wilson nodded.

"Very well," she said. "Seeing as I cannot find a good reason you would be a fit parent for Kinsley, I will grant Mr. Kogane's terms. He will be her sole guardian, no visitation rights, unless otherwise specified by Mr. Kogane." She brought down her gavel. "Case dismissed." Lance hugged Keith from behind.

"What did I tell you?" he said. Keith grinned. He caught Kate's eye as she stood to leave. She looked disappointed and angry. Keith stood as well, shrugging Lance off. He walked up to Kate.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But you never had Kinsley's best interests at heart. Congratulations though. I hope your husband and Tyler make you happy." With that, he walked back to Alice and Lance, not bothering to hear Kate's response. Keith smiled as they walked out. It was over. Kinsley was forever his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I may have bs'ed my way though the court scene. My knowledge on the subject is very limited.😅
> 
> Anywho, Keith won! Yay! I'm sure none of you were doubting he'd win.😂
> 
> Don't worry, this fic isn't over yet! We still got a whole romance to set up!😏💕 How do you guys think little Kinsley will react to this?
> 
> Also, I had to reread my own work to keep things in the timeline.😂 I had completely forgotten this whole thing is taking place in April.😂
> 
> Leave a kudos and a comment! I love reading them!🥰


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened back at Krolia's place.

Back at the house, Pidge, Hunk, Shiro and Krolia were in the middle of a fashion show.

"I'm so glad I elected to judge this," Krolia said, grinning. Kinsley beamed.

"Look, Grandma!" she said proudly, pointing to Pidge. The older girl had on a long blue dress, floppy white hat, and a green feathered scarf.

"Looking good, Pidge," Krolia said.

"Darn straight," Pidge said, throwing part of the scarf around her shoulders. "Only the best for us girls, right Chickadee?" Kinsley nodded.

"How's it going back there, boys?" Krolia called. Shiro and Hunk had gone to the other room to…. assemble their "competition".

"I don't think we're gonna win," Hunk said, stepping out. Shiro followed behind and Krolia stifled a laugh. He was wearing a too tight white T-shirt, a pair of red bell-bottoms that belonged to Krolia's late husband, a light blue ascot, and some Ray-Bans.

"Did you slick your hair back?" Pidge asked with a cackle. Shiro grinned sheepishly.

"Hunk figured we should go all out," he said.

"I'm just glad I decided to be the other stylist," Hunk said. "No way was I dressing up. Not that you don't have great style, Snickerdoodle."

"Daddy lets me pick out my own clothes!" Kinsley said.

"And you do a fabulous job," Krolia said. Kinsley twirled, showing off the bright purple skirt she was wearing, which she had paired with a teal shirt that had a pink bow on it.

"You guys ready to walk the runway?" Hunk asked. The "runway" was the hallway from the front door to the living room. Pidge handed her camera to Krolia.

"To show Keith later," she said simply. Krolia nodded. Pidge walked down the hall, then walked back, exaggerating her steps like she was a model.

"Go Auntie Pidge!" Kinsley cheered. Krolia snapped a few pictures.

"Shiro, you're up!" Pidge said. Shiro sighed.

"I'm only doing this for Kinsley," he said.

"You can do it, Uncle Shiro!" Kinsley yelled. Krolia ruffled her hair, right as Shiro sauntered down the runway. Pidge cackled, and Krolia snapped more pictures.

"Kins, why don't we take a picture with Uncle Shiro and Auntie Pidge to show your Daddy later?" Krolia said.

"'Kay!" Kinsley said, grabbing Pidge's hand. The two adults stood on either side of the little girl, Pidge leaning down a bit with her hands on Kinsley's shoulders, Shiro putting a hand on her head.

"That's adorable," Hunk said, wiping away a fake tear. Kinsley giggled.

"You stand here too, Uncle Hunk!" Kinsley said. Hunk chuckled and stood behind Pidge.

"Ready?" Krolia asked.

"Cheese!" Kinsley yelled, causing the adults to chuckle. Krolia took the picture.

"I'm hanging this on my wall," Krolia said.

"Oh, please don't," Shiro groaned.

"Please do," Pidge said with a smirk. Kinsley giggled again. Krolia smiled at her granddaughter. She really hoped things worked out for Keith. This little girl was his world and a part of Krolia's too. It would break her heart to see her go. Suddenly, her phone rang.

"Is it Keith?" Shiro asked. Krolia answered it.

"Hello?" she said. The group waited a few moments, before Krolia put a hand to her mouth. She turned to the group.

"Good news?" Hunk asked carefully. Krolia lowered her hand, smiling.

"He won."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> D'aw, I had so much fun writing this! Krolia is totally hanging that picture in the hall.😏😂
> 
> Let me know what you guys thought of the chapter! I love hearing your thoughts!💕


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little celebrating never hurt nobody

Keith couldn’t wait to get back to his mom’s place. He wanted to give Kinsley the biggest hug ever.

“Before we leave, I gotta make a phone call,” Lance said suddenly. Keith had just told his mom the good news.

“Oh, sure,” he said. Lance nodded and walked away to make his call. Alice came up to Keith.

“I just called Talulla to keep her in the loop,” she said. “She said congrats!” Keith smiled.

“Thanks,” he said. “That was nice of her.”

“So, we ready to go?” Alice asked.

“Lance said he had to make a phone call,” Keith said. Alice looked over at the other boy.

“So what’s the story there?” she asked. Keith choked on air.

“W-what story?” he said. Alice gave him an unamused look.

“I see the way you look at him,” she said. “Like you have feelings for him, or at least used to. So what happened?” Keith looked at the floor.

“It’s….actually the reason I started going out with Kate,” he said quietly. Alice frowned.

“Explain?” she asked, making sure no one else was listening.

“Lance….” Keith started. “Well, back in highschool, we….weren’t the greatest of friends. We had grown closer by the end of it all, but we were just friends. I….I told Shiro about my crush, but then Lance decided to go to a college further away from mine and I….well I tried to confess to him. He….hadn’t taken it well. While he wasn’t homophobic, he made it clear that he was interested in girls. I….I thought maybe I should see what the big deal was with girls, so I started dating Kate. And I liked her....until I met her parents and she started being a jerk and then left.”

“Keith,” Alice said. “I….I’m so sorry.” Keith shook his head.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Sometimes I get a bit sad about it all, but if that hadn’t happened, Kinsley wouldn’t be here. I should almost be thanking Lance.” Alice sighed, but nodded.

“Yeah, Kinsley is cute,” she said. “Just sucks you had to go through so much to get here.”

“It’s worth it,” Keith said fondly. At that moment, Lance came back over.

“Hey!” he said. “Sorry, didn’t mean to keep you guys waiting.”

“All good!” Alice assured. “Let’s go get Kinsley!” Keith practically sprinted to Alice’s car, Lance and Alice laughing behind him.

The car ride was actually silent as they drove to Krolia’s house. As soon as they pulled up, little Kinsley came running out, Shiro right on her heels.

“Starlight, wait!” he called after her. Kinsley stopped, allowing Shiro to scoop her up.

“Daddy!” she shouted as Keith opened the door.

“Kins!” he said, taking her from Shiro. He spun her around, giving her a squeeze. “Did you have fun?”

“Uh huh!” Kinsley said. “Grandma took pictures!” Keith set the little girl on his hip.

“Pictures, huh?” he said.

“Later,” Shiro said, face a bit red. Keith decided to let it drop. If Shiro said later, that just meant Keith was allowed to torment him when the pictures were shown.

"Can't wait to hear about all the fun the pequeña princessa had!" Lance said, booping the little girl on the nose as he walked past. Kinsley giggled.

"Get in here, slowpokes!" Pidge yelled from the kitchen.

"Shall we?" Keith said. Kinsley nodded. Keith carried his daughter to the kitchen, where she immediately squirmed out of his arms.

"Oh, Keith!" Krolia said, tears in her eyes. She ran up and hugged her son tightly.

"Oof!" Keith said. "Thanks, Mom." He returned her hug.

"Okay, enough sap," Pidge said. "Hunk made snickerdoodle cookies and I am DYING to have one."

"They still have to cool!" Hunk said. Kinsley bounced in place.

"Yay, cookies!" she said happily. Hunk simply sighed.

"So, about those pictures?" Keith asked.

"On my phone," Pidge said. "Except for one, that's in the hall."

"That good of a picture, huh?" he asked.

"Look at the other ones first," Krolia said. Pidge tossed her phone over, already unlocked to her pictures. Keith scrolled through them, smiling at the little fashion show Kinsley put together.

"Looking good, Shiro," Keith smirked. Shiro just groaned. "Okay, so what's the one in the hall?"

"Just go see already!" Pidge said. Keith laughed and walked back down the hall. He found the picture right away. It was Kinsley with her aunt and uncles. Keith definitely did not tear up.

"Aw, that's cute," Lance said, coming up beside him.

"Yeah, no wonder my mom wanted to hang it up," Keith said. "And I get the bonus of Shiro having to look at it each time he comes over." Lance chuckled at this.

"I'm glad everything worked out," Lance said.

"Me too," Keith said quietly, still a bit emotional over it all. Lance wrapped him up in a hug.

"Keith?" he asked. Keith pulled away slightly to see Lance's face better.

"Yeah?"

"Will you go out with me?" Lance asked suddenly. Keith froze.

"W-what?" he asked, not sure if he heard that right. Lance blushed.

"Look, I know what I said in the past," he said. "But I was wrong. I'm not straight, Keith. I'm bi." Keith stared.

"When did that happen?" he asked.

"Right after we left for college," Lance said. "After you confessed, I couldn't stop thinking about you. And while the ladies are still fine, I just wanted to see you again. More than anything." Keith definitely DID tear up this time.

"Lance…." he said. "I'd love to go out with you." Lance beamed.

"Really?" he asked. Instead of answering, Keith pulled the taller boy down into a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, what a rollercoaster of a chapter, am I right?!😂
> 
> So, I've finally figured out exactly how I want this fic to go from here on out. Because my dear readers, THERE IS MORE TO COME!😆👍👍 We're just getting started!.....18 chapters in, but whatever. Love goes at its own pace!😂💕
> 
> Leave me a comment, I love reading them!🥰


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little celebrating and fluff.

Everyone could tell what had transpired in the hall, seeing as both of their faces were pink and they were smiling like idiots. Only little Kinsley didn't seem to get it.

"Daddy, your face is red," she said. Keith blushed further.

"It's fine, baby girl," he said, scooping up his daughter. "I have a question for you though."

"Ok!" she said.

"How would you feel about Lance coming over to visit sometimes?" Keith asked.

"More like, all the time," Lance chimed in. Kinsley smiled.

"Prince Lance it's gonna visit us? Yay!" she near yelled, causing the adults in the room to chuckle.

"A prince, huh?" Pidge said.

"Of course my princessa sees me that way," Lance beamed, tickling Kinsley a bit. The little girl squirmed, wanting Lance to hold her. Keith passed her over.

"You can play with me and Lily!" Kinsley said happily. Lance bounced her a bit.

"I'd love to, cariño," he said. Keith smiled as he watched them. Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

"Alice?" Keith asked.

"I just wanted to say, I'm so happy for you," she said, smiling. She gave him a big hug.

"Thanks," Keith said, smiling. Alice pulled back and gave him a wink.

"If you ever need me to watch Kinsley during one of Lance's 'visits', just let me know," she said with a smirk. Keith's face felt like it was lit on fire.

"I hate you," he said, no real heat in his words. Alice chuckled.

"And yet you would flounder without me," she said. She led them back over to the others. Kinsley had a snickerdoodle cookie in one hand, and in the other-

"Kins, please!" Lance said, trying to avoid the half-eaten, toddler-spit-on cookie she held to his face.

"I had to make sure it wasn't posened!" she said.

"You mean 'poisoned'?" Keith asked, standing next to them. Kinsley nodded. Suddenly, Keith swooped in and snatched the cookie from her hand, eating it in one go.

"Hey!" Kinsley pouted.

"Waste not, want not," Keith said. "Lance missed out." Lance stuck his tongue out at him. Kinsley pondered her father's words.

"Do you want mine?" Kinsley asked, holding out her other half-eaten cookie. Lance tried not to grimace.

"That's okay, princessa, you can have that one," he said. "I'm sure they aren't poisoned." Kinsley nodded, then asked to be put down, which Lance promptly did. Keith then got a grand idea.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe we should check again." Lance frowned, confused.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Well, Kins is right," Keith said, grinning. "Can't have our Prince getting poisoned." He grabbed a cookie from the plate, carefully putting it in his mouth and eating half. Then, before Lance could react, he placed the other end between Lance's lips. They were nearly kissing. In front of everyone. Lance was weak for this boy.

"MMPH?!"Lance yelled, surprised. Keith simply snickered around his end of the cookie. He bit off a chunk, pulling back.

"Yup, all good," he said. Lance's face was beet red, while his friends snickered at him. Even Kinsley giggled. He quickly ate the rest of the cookie.

"I am a weak man," he proclaimed. Keith snorted.

"That you are," he said.

"Get a room, children are present!" Shiro said.

"We didn't do anything that would scar Kinsley!" Keith said, laughing.

"I wasn't just referring to her," Shiro said, covering Pidge's eyes.

"Hey!" she yelled, causing everyone to laugh again. Suddenly, Keith felt a hand tug at his pant leg. He looked down, right as Kinsley yawned. Keith picked her up.

"Had a long day?" he asked. She nodded sleepily.

"Nap time?" Lance asked.

"Yeah," Keith said. "She doesn't really take many naps unless I tire her out first."

"Alrighty, I'll see you tomorrow then!" Lance said. Keith smiled.

"Are you planning to come over everyday now?" he asked.

"Maybe," Lance grinned. Keith chuckled softly, the little girl in his arms whining.

"Okay, okay," he said. "Alice, would you wanna give us a ride back?"

"Sure thing, hon," Alice said. Keith waved as he carried Kinsley to the car, suppressing a yawn himself. Alice caught his though.

"Sleep," she said. "You need it after today." Keith didn't even bother arguing. He just closed his eyes and drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK. I'M NOT DEAD. I've just been stupid busy with life and haven't felt inspired to update anything, really. BUT I HAVE RETURNED! So fear not my readers, I shall bring a thrall of updates in my wake!😂
> 
> And yes, I used the random cookie scene from Ouran High School Host Club as inspiration. You know, the one where Hikaru and Kaoru use Haruhi to try and make Tamaki jealous. 😏🍪


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith goes back to work

About a week after the whole court business, Keith found himself back at work. He had taken some time off (which he really had needed) and now it was time to return.

"And you're sure she's okay?" Keith said. He was on the phone with Shiro. His brother had never babysat before, but he was the only one available today and Keith had yet to find a daycare for Kinsley.

"Keith, for the last time, she's fine," Shiro said. "Just focus on your work and don't worry. I got take-out for lunch."

"Well at least she won't starve and my kitchen will be intact," Keith said, smirking even though Shiro couldn't see it.

"Ha ha," Shiro said flatly. "Go do your job."

"Okay, okay," Keith said. "Thanks again Shiro."

"No problem," he said, then hung up. Keith sighed as he put his phone away and turned to the stack of papers on his desk. He worked at Galra Tech., a company that specialized in creating cutting edge tech for everyone. Keith's job was to go over design plans and approve them.

"Kogane!" a voice yelled, causing Keith to flinch. That was Honerva "Haggar" Daibazal. She was co-owner and head technician at the company.

"Yes?" Keith asked, going to open the door.

"Those plans needed to be approved last week!" she screeched as soon as the door was open. Keith tried not to look irritated.

"I took some time off so I could settle a court case involving my daughter," Keith said. "I wasn't in the office to approve them." Haggar simply scowled.

"Then why didn't you take them home?" she said. "You could have easily done your job from there."

"It was all last minute-" Keith started, but Haggar's phone buzzed and she answered it. Keith really wanted to return to his desk so he could ACTUALLY get some work done, but he knew if Haggar was still here, she still had more to say.

"Well," she said suddenly, putting her phone away. "If you aren't going to take your job seriously, then you can get out."

"Wait, what?" Keith asked. "I took personal time off for a family emergency and now you're firing me for it? You can't do that!"

"I can fire whoever I want, whenever I want, and for whatever reason I want," Haggar said. "You have until the end of the day to leave here." With that, she stormed out, slamming the door. Keith resisted the urge to throw something.

"Great!" he said. "Unbelievable! That woman is horrible!" He realized he was just talking to himself, but saying all this out loud made him feel a little better.

Keith grabbed a box and started shoving his things inside. He looked at the stack of papers.

"Screw it," he said. "I'm already fired." He pushed the whole stack onto the floor. The resulting mess was a bit satisfying. After that, Keith grabbed his box (he didn't have much at the office) and left. He didn't look at anyone as he walked out, and made sure to leave his door wide open so Haggar could see the scattered papers. He could hear her outraged scream now. But it wasn't like she could fire him twice.

Keith got to his car quickly and just sat there for a moment. He didn't really want to go home, not yet. Maybe Lance was free. Mind set, Keith started his pickup and headed towards Lance's place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I needed to give Keith a job, but right after I started writing this chapter, I decided this was a terrible job for him, but didn't want to scrap my work.😂 So this happened.
> 
> But don't worry, I now have plans! And we'll get to spend more time with Lance, so there's that.😂💕


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith visits Lance

Lance was just making some lunch when he heard a knock on his door. Frowning a bit, he went to answer it.

"Hey, Lance," Keith said, once Lance opened the door. "I, uh, didn't want to go home just yet."

"Hi," Lance said. "Aren't you supposed to be at work right now?" Keith shifted from side to side.

"About that," he said. "I got fired."

"What?!" Lance asked, ushering Keith inside. "Why?"

"Because I didn't get some papers approved last week," Keith said. "Because I took personal leave for Kins."

"That's insane!" Lance said. "They can't do that!"

"Technically, no," Keith agreed, flopping down on Lance's couch. "But I'm not gonna sue them, since I don't really want to be in a courtroom for a while more."

"I suppose that's fair….." Lance said, a little unsure. "But those are still bad reasons to fire you."

"I know," Keith groaned. "But I can't change it."

"So, what now?" Lance asked, sitting beside Keith. Keith sighed.

"Guess I need to find another job," he said. "I just don't know where." Lance just hummed. He then suddenly walked into the kitchen and came back with a tub of orange sherbet.

"Here," he said, handing Keith a spoon. Lance sat next to him and opened the tub, a spoon in his own hand.

"Since when do you have sherbet?" Keith asked, digging in.

"Since the last time you were over," Lance said around his own mouthful. "I have a bunch of dairy-free stuff now." Keith blushed.

"Thanks," Keith said. They remained that way for a few more minutes, before Keith spoke up again. "What do you do for work anyway?"

"Me?" Lance asked, as if there was anyone else Keith was talking to. "I'm a model." Keith nearly choked.

"Sorry, what?" he asked when he could breathe properly again. Lance just laughed.

"I'm a model," he said. "Not for some big fancy business or something, it's just a small gig."

"Like what?" Keith asked, genuinely curious.

"I do photoshoots for generic clothing stores," Lance said. "You know those pictures on the walls behind all the racks? I do those."

"Oh," Keith said. He wasn't really sure how to respond other than that. Lance smirked.

"The pay isn't too bad," he said. Keith frowned, not sure where he was going with this.

"That's good," he tried. Lance scoffed, but there was no irritation behind it.

"Dude, apply!" he said. Keith's face felt warm. Was it warm in here?

"What?" he asked. "No, no. I-I can't….model."

"Please?" Lance said, leaning into Keith's space. He gave Keith his best puppy eyes. "Model with me!" Keith looked away.

"I will not fall prey to puppy eyes," he said. "I've had practice." Lance pouted, backing up. Then, he smiled, an idea forming.

"Be right back," he said. "I forgot I needed to pick something up. Help yourself to anything in the fridge, I won't be long." Then he left, leaving a confused Keith sitting on his couch.

"Somehow," Keith muttered to himself. "I doubt this is gonna end well for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about modeling.😂
> 
> D'aw, isn't Lance a sweet boyfriend? Wonder what he's up to.😏
> 
> Leave comments, I love reading them! They give me warm fuzzies.🥰


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy day with our boys and little lady

Lance returned about 20 minutes later, carrying a very wiggly Kinsley.

"Daddy!" she said, trying to launch herself from Lance's arms. Keith was quick to catch her.

"Hey, baby," he said, giving her a hug. "What's going on?" He turned to Lance at that. Lance simply nodded towards Kinsley.

"Daddy," she said. "Lance said that he wants to take pictures with you." Keith frowned a little.

"Well, sort of," he said. "They wouldn't be for us, hon."

"Who are they for then?" she asked.

"Everyone else, I guess," Keith said, not sure how to explain modeling to a three-year-old. Kinsley looked between Lance and her father.

“Your daddy would get to be on all those big signs you see on the side of the road,” Lance said. “I think I have one downtown.”

“You do?” Keith asked. Granted, he never paid the billboards much attention, but that was still surprising.

“Daddy you have to!” Kinsley suddenly said. And she gave Keith the biggest, most pleading puppy dog eyes she could manage. Keith tried not to give in.

“Kins, I-” he started, but stopped when Kinsley started to pout as well. Curse Lance for using his much more adorable daughter against him.

“Pwease?” Kinsley tried. Keith broke.

“Fine,” he groaned. Lance cheered and Kinsley giggled.

“Yay!” she clapped, clearly proud of herself. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Yeah yeah,” he said. “But those eyes only work with Kinsley.” Keith looked at Lance at that. Lance nodded.

“Understood,” he said, still grinning. “And hey, now you have a place to start looking for a new job, although I don’t see why they wouldn’t hire you.” Keith snorted.

“They’ll hire me for my good looks, then fire me for my attitude,” he said. Lance laughed.

“I can promise you are not the biggest drama queen they’ve seen,” he said. Suddenly, Keith frowned.

“Wait, if Kinsley is here,” Keith said. “What did you tell Shiro?”

“I told him that you called me and asked if I could take Kinsley shopping,” he said. “Which I still plan to do.”

“Shopping?” Keith said. Lance nodded, reaching for Kinsley.

“The little princessa needs a tiara,” Lance said. “And I know just the place to get one.”

*****

“An arcade?” Keith said. He was holding Kinsley, standing next to Lance as he looked up at the building.

“Not just any arcade,” Lance said. “Since this is for Kinsley, I figured an adult arcade wouldn’t work. So this is an arcade designed with kids Kinsley’s age in mind.”

“Wow,” Keith said. He felt Kinsley tap his shoulder.

“What’s an ‘arcade’?” she asked.

“You get to play games,” Keith said. “Lance is gonna help you, and maybe you can win a tiara when you’re all done.” Kinsley’s eyes seemed to sparkle.

“LET’S GO!” she shouted in Keith’s ear. Keith winced while Lance laughed.

They walked into the arcade, where a perky blonde teen greeted them.

“Well hey there!” she said. Keith was sure she had a Minnesotan accent, super perky and a little obnoxious. “Aren’t you cute! What’s your name, sweet pea?”

“Kinsley!” the little girl answered with a smile. The teen smiled.

“What a pretty name!” she said. “My name is Julia! Here, this special stamp will tell us you’re here to have some fun!” Julia grabbed a small stamp with that invisible UV ink and stamped it on the back of Kinsley’s hand. Kinsley frowned.

“Where did it go?” she asked. Julia smiled and grabbed a little UV wand, waving over Kinsley’s hand. Kinsley gasped.

“Pretty cool, huh Kins?” Keith asked. Kinsley nodded. She waited as Keith and Lance got their hands stamped as well.

“Have fun!” Julia said. “Oh, and you three make such a lovely family.” Keith’s face went red at that.

“W-wait, we-” he tried to say, but Lance pushed him forward.

“Time’s a-wasting, Mullet!” he said. Kinsley just giggled.

About ten minutes later, Keith was exhausted. He had played a few arcade games with Lance and Kinsley, but he ultimately ended up chasing after the two as they ran from game to game.

“Are you guys good here?” Keith asked. “I’m super thirsty.”

“Don’t worry!” Lance said. “I’ll watch over Kinsley.” Keith smiled and walked over to the little food bar, grabbing a water bottle. After paying for it, he headed back to where he last saw Lance and Kinsley, but they weren’t there. Suddenly, something landed on his head.

“Looking good, Mullet,” Lance said from behind Keith. Keith turned, putting a hand on his head. Lance had put a plastic crown there, and was wearing one too.

“Not bad yourself,” Keith grinned. Kinsley tugged on his shirt. Keith looked down and nearly melted. She had a little sparkly pink tiara on her head.

“What about me?” she asked. Keith scooped her up.

“You are the most beautiful princess I’ve ever seen,” Keith said. Kinsley beamed at that.

“We had extra tickets, and Kinsley insisted we get crowns too,” Lance explained.

“Two princes and a princess,” Keith said. “Works for me.” Then, he did something unexpected. He leaned over and gave Lance a kiss on the cheek. Lance’s face went red.

“W-what was that for?” Lance asked.

“For today,” Keith said with a smile. Kinsley nodded and reached for Lance, who took her from Keith. She too placed a kiss on his cheek, although hers was a little sloppier in comparison.

“Aw, thanks, Princess,” Lance said.

“What a disgusting display,” a woman suddenly said. Keith turned to see a woman with her son, who was hiding behind her legs. The kid looked no older than five.

“Excuse me?” Keith asked.

“The two of you,” she said. “In public. Teaching that poor girl it’s okay for two...MEN, to kiss each other.”

“It is,” Lance said. “How do you think the Europeans greet each other? How is this different?”

“There’s nothing wrong with us spending time with the ones we love,” Keith said. The woman sneered.

“You two are the reason children are being corrupted,” she said. Keith saw red.

“And you’re the reason kids grow up afraid and unwanted,” Keith said. He grabbed Kinsley from Lance. “Let’s go.” Kinsley clung to him tightly and Lance was hot on his heels and they walked off. Keith didn’t even bother to wait for the woman’s response or even a reaction. Julia gave them a small smile as they left.

“I’m very sorry about that,” she said. “I hope we see you again, since you have such a cute daughter.” Keith smiled at her.

“Thank you, Julia,” he said. “We know it’s not the arcade’s fault some people are just rude.” Julia’s smile grew brighter at that.

“Bye!” Kinsley called as the door swung shut. Keith huffed.

“Let’s go home, Kins,” he said. He was suddenly stopped by Lance.

“Hey, I uh….I wanted to ask,” he said. “Before that lady interrupted us, anyway. Well, I was wondering…..would you like to go get dinner tomorrow?” Keith blinked at him.

“Like….a date?” he asked. Lance nodded shyly. Keith smiled.

“I’m sure Alice would love to babysit,” Keith said. Lance beamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys.....this fic is now 63 PAGES in my Google Docs....and I'm not even close to done yet. XD
> 
> D'aw, aren't they just the cutest? You guys don't know how much I love this fic. <3


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DATE!!!!

The next day, Keith could say he was definitely nervous.

"Daddy?" Kinsley asked, poking her head into his room, little Lily trailing behind her. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Keith said, looking out from his closet. "Oh, Kins, I'm um….looking for something." Kinsley came into his room, stopping in front of the pile of clothes Keith had thrown from his closet.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, scooping up Lily to hold her. Keith stepped around the pile to pay her head.

"Don't worry about it baby," he said. Are you excited to spend some time with Auntie Alice?" Kinsley nodded.

"Will I get to see Prince Lance later too?" she asked.

"Uh, probably not, hun," Keith said. Kinsley pouted.

"Why not?" she whined. Keith smiled.

"Lance and I are gonna hang out by ourselves for a bit," he said. "And maybe you can see him tomorrow." Kinsley lit up at that.

"Okay!" she said happily, Lily yipping her agreement. Keith smiled.

"Okay, now let Daddy finish up in here," he said, nudging her out of the room. He turned back to the pile of clothes. "If only I could decide what to wear." Maybe Alice would know better. With that thought, Keith plucked his phone up from the bed where he'd thrown it earlier.

Ten minutes later, Alice had the perfect outfit picked out.

"Boy, I don't know what you'd do without me," Alice joked. Keith rolled his eyes.

"Sorry I don't have a sense of fashion," he said. Alice picked up Kinsley, who was standing nearby.

"What do you think? Is Daddy gonna look like a prince or what?" she asked the little girl.

"He's gonna look like a prince like Lance does!" Kinsley said, clapping happily. Keith chuckled.

"Thanks, sweet pea," he said. "You go have fun with Auntie Alice now, okay?" Kinsley nodded and followed Alice to her room. Keith quickly got dressed and checked the time.

It was 6.

Lance was picking him up at 6:15.

Keith panicked.

He raced into the bathroom to brush his unruly hair and tie it up into a little ponytail. He brushed his teeth and popped a breath mint into his mouth, just in case. Keith looked at himself in the mirror.

The outfit Alice had picked out was a nice fitting, deep red T-shirt, faded black skinny jeans, and a black and red checkered flannel, which Keith had tied around his waist at the moment. He had also put on his fingerless black gloves, because he never truly left his high school emo phase.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Prince Lance!" Kinsley yelled. Keith rushed to open the door, while Alice scooped up the excited three-year-old.

"Hi," Keith said, opening the door to see Lance on the other side. And "hi" was all Keith could manage to say. Words let him as he took in Lance's appearance.

Lance had on a blue button down, with the sleeves rolled up his forearms, and black jeans. His hair had been slicked back a bit, but not overly so. He looked stunning.

"Hi to you too," Lance said smiling. He glanced at Kinsley. "Hola, princessa!"

"Hi Prince Lance!" Kinsley called back, causing Lance and Keith to chuckle.

"Well," Lance said. "Shall we?" Keith nodded and followed Lance out to his car. Lance’s car wasn’t anything fancy, just a blue Ford Fusion.

“Nice car,” Keith said. Lance brought a hand to the back of his neck.

“Thanks,” he said. “It’s nothing special though.”

“I had a bike before I had Kinsley,” Keith said. “After her, I got the truck.”

“I suppose it would be hard to drive a toddler around on a motorcycle,” Lance said. He then opened Keith’s door for him. Keith blushed lightly.

“Thanks,” he said, getting in. Lance smiled, shutting the door before running over to the driver’s side. “So, any chance you’ll tell me where we’re going?”

“It’s a surprise,” Lance said, smirking. Keith huffed, but smiled. Lance hummed a little as he drove, Keith torn between watching Lance and watching out the window and trying to guess where their final destination would be.

“Are we there yet?” Keith asked after about ten minutes.

“Not yet,” Lance said. “Give it another minute.” He pulled into a parking lot. Keith looked out the window to see the name of the restaurant.

“Olive Garden?” Keith asked.

“It’s fancy!” Lance defended. Keith laughed.

“I never said it wasn’t,” he said. “I love Olive Garden.” Lance beamed at that. Keith unbuckled his seat belt, but before he could open his door, he was distracted by Lance scrambling to undo his own seat belt and rush over to open the door for Keith.

“We have arrived, M’Lord,” Lance teased. Keith blushed again.

“Are you going to open every door for me?” Keith asked.

“And push in your chair,” Lance said, grinning. “I plan to be the perfect gentleman all night.” Keith’s blush deepened. They walked into the restaurant (Lance holding the door open again) and were quickly shown to a table. True to his word, Lance pulled out and pushed in Keith’s chair. He was pretty sure his face would be red for the rest of the evening.

“I’ve never been treated so nicely on a date,” Keith said. “Not that I’ve been on many.”

“You deserve the best, Keith,” Lance said, total sincerity in his voice. “I want to show you how much you mean to me. And to make up for being stupid in the past.”

“There’s nothing to make up for,” Keith said. “What matters is now.” Lance smiled.

“Good to know,” he said. “So. Kinsley is still calling me ‘Prince Lance’, huh?” Keith sighed, but smiled.

“Yeah,” he said. “She seems to really like you.”

“Well, what’s not to like?” Lance teased. “But I think it’s interesting she calls the others ‘Uncle’ or ‘Auntie’.”

“Oh, that,” Keith said. “Most of my friends are like family, so that’s her default. She doesn’t call our front desk girl ‘Auntie Talulla’, because I don’t really see her as family, just a friend.”

“So, what about me?” Lance asked. Keith shrugged.

“Guess you’re different?” he said. They dropped the topic after that, catching up instead. Lance told stories about his family and all the shenanigans they got up to, while Keith talked about the type of work he’d been doing recently and a few stories of Kinsley.

“Wait, Kinsley can rock climb?” Lance asked. Keith made a so-so gesture.

“I took her once last year,” he said. “She didn’t seem too into climbing the rock wall, but when we got home, she figured out how to climb on top of the fridge.” Lance laughed.

“A little daredevil,” he said. “Just like her dad.” Keith smiled.

“Not so much anymore,” he said. “Had to become a bit more responsible with Kinsley around.” Lance smiled.

“Well, why don’t we be a little daring tonight?” he asked. Keith frowned in confusion.

“What do you mean?” he asked. Lance blushed a bit.

“Well…..” he stared. “We could make this official and become boyfriends. And then maybe…..celebrate?” Based on how nervous Lance seemed, Keith could pick up on what the other boy was implying by “celebrate”. It made his face turn a VIBRANT shade of red.

“O-oh,” Keith squeaked out. “I, uh…..I’d like that.” Now it was Lance’s turn to have his face burn red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I don't know why, but the only thing running through my head by the end of this chapter was that one picture of someone being asked to describe what "blushing loudly" meant, and they just pulled up a picture of a red faced Tamaki from OHSHC. XD
> 
> Long chapter this time! I'm super excited for a future chapter (not the next chapter, that's gonna be awkward as HECK for me to write. XD) because I have a new OC I'm planning to introduce and they are going to be FABULOUS!!! :D
> 
> Lemme know what you guys thought of the chapter! I love hearing from you guys and your comments make my day!! :D


End file.
